Familiar Faces
by badboysam
Summary: Following a one night stand years before, super-rich Sam Evans sees a couple of familiar faces who are about to transform his life forever! Based on a Tumblr prompt.
1. Double Take

_**Hi All,**_

_**This is a short fic i'm writing, based on the following prompt by amuzed1 on Tumblr. I hope it works out coz it's the first time i've tried anything like this!**_

_**'Alright, do with this what you will. Sam and Mercedes meet one night in a nightclub and end up having a one night stand (she was trying to get over a bad break-up, he was just doing what he does). Sam, even though he's a total rich playboy (I'm talking billions of dollars), never forgets her. He never really looks for her, but he never forgets her. One day he sees her walking with a little girl who happens to look a lot like Stacey did at that age. From there it's all you :o) It can be a one shot or a MC, but I have a feeling it would be a long ass one-shot. LOL' - amuzed1**_

_**This first chapter introduces the characters. The next chapter will flash back to the night it all began! Hope I can do justice to the prompt! It was only going to be a few short chapters but I'm really having fun with this one so it's going to be a full fic after all.**_

_**Disclaimer: I am proud to say that I am in no way associated with the shitfest that Glee has become, even if I have pinched a few character names.**_

* * *

He wasn't supposed to be here. He should never have been here. But due to a series of unexplained circumstances he was.

It wasn't that Sam didn't like kids, it's just that outside of his younger sister, he had never really spent much time with them. So when his friend Puck had tried to cancel their monthly 'boy's day' because he had forgotten that his ex-partner Sugar was going to be out of town and he was going to be looking after his daughter for the weekend, Sam had decided, as part of his new drive to prove to his older brother Stevie that he could function as a normal responsible adult, he would still spend the day with his friend and his friends child, just to see how things got on.

A kind on social experiment as it were.

Sam Evans and Noah Puckerman had been friends since high school. Considering they had moved in different circles, they had both ended up on the football team where they had clicked and become inseperable. It wasn't that Puck's family didn't have money, because they did. It's just that they had worked hard for it, and the work ethic of his father meant that they weren't going to flaunt their wealth. Yes their son would go to the best school money could buy, but to them parenting, discipline and family were more important than flashing the cash. Puck had hated it, seeing what all the other boys around him had and wanting the same but Sam was actually jealous of him. Sure his dad flung cash at him at every opportunity, but he would have traded that in a heartbeat for some actual interaction with the man, to have a proper conversation or for his dad to show an interest in his academic or personal life. Instead he was given free rein to do what he liked and with the unlimited resources he had.

Sam was clever at school but never truly applied himself to the best of his abilities. He didn't need to. He was the younger son. His older brother Stevie had been the golden child, good looking, academically gifted and popular with the ladies, Stevie Evans had left an impression that lasted long after he left McKinley Prep. Sam had taken longer to grow into his looks and lived quite happily in his shadow along with their younger sister Stacey who had been one of those late surprises and there was a thirteen year age gap between them. What his mother had thought was the onset of menopause was actually pregnancy. Unfortunately what the doctors had initially thought was anemia causing her to be so tired actually turned out to be an aggressive form of leukemia. Pregnancy prevented her from starting the treatment that she needed immediately and by the time she was full term, Mary Evans had accepted that she would not be around to see her only daughter grow into a young woman.

Money can buy most things, but it can't always buy what you truly want.

Life.

Dwight had done what he knew best and threw himself into the family business, rendering him inaccessible to his children whose faces only reminded him of his grief. His hard work had paid off, as had his investment in technology, allowing the Evans empire to encompass not only a chain of hotels, but also a host of corporate properties in expensive areas, night clubs, and a series of boutiques that worked together with an online presence that sold exclusive clothing to the rich, famous and influential.

Dwight Evans, a man who had fought his way from being a nobody, to becoming one of America's richest men, died of a heart attack alone in his office late one night after the janitors had done their rounds. It was his assistant who had found him slumped and cold at his desk at 8am the next morning as she brought in his coffee.

Sam rememberd it for being whipped out of school and straight into a media frenzy. That kind of attention at sixteen is hard to take.

Stevie remembered it because less than three months after graduating Harvard, he became CEO of the Evans Empire. He was already grown up but he had to grow up even more, the full weight of everything, thrust onto his twenty something year old shoulders. Sam was only sixteen at the time and Stacy had been three. She was already mostly brought up by staff so nothing much changed there. With so much going on around him it was no surprise that Sam would be the one to go slightly off the rails. Not completely, but enough to be compared to the Prince Harry of the family while Stevie was Prince William.

After cruising through college he also joined the company. And although he worked as hard as Stevie, he also played hard, frequently seen in his clubs and other VIP events. With the money came the fast cars, the fast women and the fast reputation.

But you can only keep up that kind of lifestyle for so long. Now it was time for him to settle down. Over the years, the press had rebranded him from playboy to eligible bachelor. And to be honest, he wasn't averse to settling down, he just wasn't sure he'd found the right one yet. Contrary to popular belief, he hadn't slept with as many women as his reputation had suggested, actually turning many of them down or just being rumored to be attached with someone after a few long lens paparazzi shots had been taken without their ever actually having been any kind of true relationship. At one point the press had insisted for three months that he was seeing a girl that he had never even spoken to in real life!

The reality was that Sam Evans remembered every single girl that he had been with, and while some had been definite alcohol fueled mistakes, others had been genuine attempts at a real relationship. There had only been one girl who had remained an enigma. The Crying Girl he liked to call her. A one night stand who had managed to get away before he could even ask her name. It was bad form, even for him, but every once in a while his thoughts would turn to the pretty stranger who had cried in his arms while his friends partied. He never did find out what her problem was.

His thoughts were broken by the sound of giggling. Bethany was sat in the middle of the ball pit with another slightly older child, picking out all the yellow balls and throwing them as far as they could.

Sam was still in a state of disbelief that he was in a fast food joint. So far, nobody had recognized him and he was sure that it was due to the fact that nobody would expect him to be in such an establishment. Yet he was, and two bites into his burger he was already planning his next visit. The place reminded him of the glorious childhood that kids who weren't rich got to have. The place even still had a ball pit, which four year old Bethany had found infinitely more preferable than the food itself.

Puck nodded over to the two girls. "Looks like Beth's made a friend."

Sam nodded absently, taking another bite of the heavenly burger and concentrating on not dripping any of the juice or sauce onto his designer shirt.

"Wow, that other girl looks just like a darker version of- Hey Sam, look at the girl she's playing with. Does she remind you of anyone?"

Sam looked at the brown skinned girl and saw nothing familiar. He shook his head.

"Sam you have to ignore the dark skin and curly hair and look at the features. I swear she is the spitting image of Stacy when she was that age."

Sam scoffed. "Stacy? I don't think so." But he did take a second look. It took a while but after using a large amount of imagination to pretend that her skin wasn't brown, he focused hard and suddenly he did see Stacy's features. Her face shape, nose and chin. And even though the eyes were a different color they too had an extremely similar shape. When he was younger, people used to say that Stacy was the spitting image of him, but in a girl's form. "Wow!" He breathed. "If it wasn't for the fact we don't know anyone round here, I would almost say we were related."

He watched as a pretty blond woman called out to her. "Come on Cheyenne. We're going to be late! You've already had an extra five minutes."

The little girl pouted and Sam felt a thumping in his chest. That was Stacy's famous pout! And even though she was now in her late teens she still pulled it out when she wanted to get her way. He didn't recognize the woman that was calling her. Sure she was pretty, but definitely not one of his conquests! He _definitely _would have remembered a hot blond like that.

His eyes drifted back down to the little girl who looked so familiar yet unknown to him.

"Wow she's really cute!" Sam looked at the little girl being lifted out of the ball pit, leaving Beth to play alone.

"Yes she is. But I saw her first so I get first dibs."

"First dibs?" Sam frowned for a moment before he realized he had been talking about the little girl while Puck had moved on to the mother. "Oh yeah, whatever." His eyes were firmly trained on the little girl of no more than five or six who was being led out. Once outside he continued to stare at them through the glass. The little girl appeared to recognize someone in the parking lot and broke into a run… straight into the open arms of a black woman. He frowned as he squinted to keep watching them, the sound of Puck's voice slipping into the background.

So the blond wasn't the mother, the black woman was. In that instant she turned her head slightly towards the glass and-

It was Crying Girl! It had to be!

Older, curvier but definitely her. That was when the machinery in his brain began to whir and put things together. The child was clearly Mixed. And he had met Crying Girl just shy of seven years before…

In an instant he was on his feet.

Unfortunately, at that precise moment something caught their attention and she grabbed the little girl's hand as the the three of them broke into a run and crossed the street.

"Hey!" Sam didn't even realize he was shouting as he sprinted over to the front door and flung it open, not caring what the other patrons thought of his actions. He ran outside, only to see their backs as they stepped onto a city bus which quickly pulled away from the curb.

He couldn't shout after them. What the hell was he supposed to shout? He had no idea of her name or if she would even still remember him.

But it was definitely her.

And the child…

He didn't need a second look to know that child was definitely an Evans…


	2. Back To The Beginning

_**Thank you all so much for the overwhelming response to this new fic! I had no idea that there would be such a huge response to something I whipped up in the middle of the night! But seriously, all the reviews and favs and follows...**_

_**# shakes head in disbelief**_

_**OK so because of the resposnse i've decided to scrap my next story for now and make this one a little longer. I hope you all enjoy it. There'll also be a couple of chapters with Mercedes' POV to round it out a bit but the story won't overlap.**_

_**So here's the flashback to how things got started. Enjoy!**_

* * *

_It was too loud and too hot._

_Sam looked over the top of the balcony of the VIP lounge down to the heaving mass of people below. They seemed to be bouncing up and down in time to the music like a heartbeat. Normally he loved clubbing. He loved turning up unannounced and being ushered straight to his favorite spot. He loved being recognized and he especially loved the attention from the ladies._

_But today was different. Today he was so mad that even being here was not softening his mood._

_"Shots!" He looked over to his friend Puck who raised his arms in celebration as seven shot glasses, each a different color of the rainbow, were set out before them. "Seriously my friend, you've been on a downer all night. I promise you, once you've knocked back the green one, all your problems will just melt away!" With the way his old friend was smiling, Sam knew he was already well on the way towards 'happy'._

_"He's right you know." Narrowing his eyes they followed the sound of the grating voice of Puck's girlfriend Sugar. He didn't like her. She was reckless. Sure she had a figure to die for, but she was thoughtless, reckless and selfish. Sadly his friend was too blind to notice this and Sam was also pretty sure that she was cheating on him but he hadn't gotten around to taking the time to try and prove it yet._

_"Seriously dude, I don't know what's wrong with you today but you are no fucking fun at all!" Sam sighed and looked back at his friend. Despite his words, there was an element of concern in his eyes._

_"I just had a shitty day at work. That's all. No biggy!"_

_"Well your face is even longer than my dick right now and I can't be having that!" Ordinariy that statement would have made him laugh but even that wasn't working today and Puck frowned at him before his attention was drawn to the VIP entrance. The burly security guard moved aside and unhooked the red rope to alow two beauties, identical Malaysian twins with perfect figures and hair down to their waists to enter._

_"Hot DAMN!" Muttered Puck under his breath. "I wonder if Sugar is up for sharing tonight."_

_Sam shook his head. Any other day he would be drooling right along with his friend, but today it just wasn't happening. He shot the girls a polite smile and beckoned them over, causing them to smile brightly. As they approached he stood. "Hi! I'm Sam. You lovely ladies can take a seat right here and order whatever drinks your hearts desire." He waved them over to where he had been sitting and they slid straight into the seat as one._

_"Where are you going Sam?" Puck's eyes were getting serious now._

_"I need some air!"_

_Without even turning his head, Sam headed for the nearest exit. He just wanted to find a place where he could feel that he could breathe. As usual, his brother had been on his back about some story in the press about him and a girl in Vegas. But he had been on a weekend break! Besides, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Everybody knew that!_

_He sighed, knowing that wasn't the true reason for his funk._

_Sam hated it when things between him and his brother were strained. They knew that they both resented the other for the things they couldn't have. Sam resented Stevie for getting the brains and the charisma. He was the mature sensible one. The man to go to whenever there was a problem. The man who, after studying business at Harvard went straight into making the family business even more of a success than it already was, utilizing social networks to attract a new type of clientele. They would always be a high end company, but having a few mid-range lines under a differently named label increased their popularity with the masses and ensured a steady and healthy income that would tide them over if the economy ever ceased to be as buoyant as it currently was. He had it all, a beautiful home, a wife and the respect of the media._

_Stevie, on the other hand, successful as he was, always held a slight resentment for having to grow up too fast. He had always planned to go into the business and had been groomed as such from childhood, but he also loved travel and had planned a gap year after college to do a round the world trip and trek through Asia. But that was never to happen after their dad's death had left him fighting with the board of directors to prove that he was capable of running the company. There had been those who had said he was too young and those who simply wanted the role of CEO for themselves. So while his younger brother had been out partying and having all the fun that he had wanted to have, Stevie had had to hold things together and not put a foot wrong to ensure that his 'enemies' would not have anything to use against him and destroy his family's control of the business._

_So many times in Stevie's office, blue eyes had locked with green in a battle of wills. Yes their relationship was turbulent but underneath it all they did love each other and need each other. Their grandparents had died when Stevie was small so with the eventual loss of both parents they had clung to each other for a sense of normalcy. The age gap made it harder. By the time Sam had finished college and was settled working for the company, Stevie was already married and nearing thirty. Stevie's wife Holly was a favorite of Sam's and he truly looked up to her as a big sister. She was older than Stevie, thirty-one when they got married but she was exactly what he needed, a pillar of strength and support and someone to love him unconditionally. She was the Michelle to his Barak and if Sam was truly honest, he was more than a little jealous of what they had but he liked and respected her too much to interfere in what they had. But when Stevie had hauled him into his office to chew him out over paparazzi pictures of him frolicking with a bunch of beauties in Vegas he had thrown it all back in his brother's face._

_"You know, not all of us get to have perfect lives you know!"_

_Stevie's eyes flashed with anger. Sam had never seen him flip so fast. "What make you think my life is so fucking perfect?"_

_He snarled back at him. "You're the perfect role model, successful, great looks, gorgeous wife, the 'face' of Evans Industries and all our associated brands. And don't think I don't know about you suddenly taking a couple of days off yourself. Probably another one of your spontaneous romantic trips away. What was it this time, the anniversary of you first holding hands or something?"_

_Sam didn't even feel the shove, he just felt himself flying backwards across the room._

_"Just get the fuck out of m-"_

_Sam managed to recover himself and had just started to hurl himself back at his brother when he noticed the reason he hadn't finished the sentence was because he was suddenly sobbing._

_Stevie never cried. He was the one who was strong for everyone else. Even at his dad's funeral Sam could only recollect one silent tear on his brother's cheek which had rapidly been brushed away, unseen by everyone except Sam who had squeezed his hand a little tighter._

_The sight of his brother now sobbing completely took the wind out of his sails. His hand dropped to his side and his voice softened. "What's happened?"_

_Stevie simply shook his head as more tears flowed and Sam started to get scared for his brother. "Stevie? Talk to me." He stepped forward and rubbed his arm before being stunned by his brother pulling him into his arms and hugging him tightly."_

_"We lost it Sam."_

_He was confused. "Lost what?"_

_"The baby."_

_A feeling of cold dread ran through Sam's blood. He knew that Stevie and Holly had been trying for a baby as soon as they had married. He'd had no idea that she'd been pregnant._

_"She had a miscarriage in the early hours of Monday morning. That's why I didn't come in."_

_"Oh shit! I am so sorry! I didn't even know"_

_"Nobody knew. We didn't want to tell anyone because it was too early. Just in case… just in-" Stevie's words dissolved into heaving sobs and Sam silently held his brother, thinking about how selfish and insensitive he had been. When his brother had calmed down slightly Sam led him into his smaller side office which also held a chaise which was used for massages and naps on long days. Getting his brother to sit, he locked the door, flicked on the coffee machine and picked up the phone to Stevie's assistant._

_"Alice?"_

_"Yes Mr Evans."_

_"Please hold all calls. Stevie and I are in a meeting and cannot be disturbed."_

_"Yes sir."_

_Sam stayed with his brother for an hour before clearing Stevie's diary and seeing the clients that couldn't be cancelled himself. He left his brother asleep, waking him only when it was time for him to go home._

* * *

_Sam stepped through the fire escape and out onto the roof. It was his go to place when he needed to escape the noise and the heat and the true reason why this was the favorite out of all his clubs. The view of the city from up here was amazing and after dark the lights made it look like a veritable play land._

_He was so lost in his thoughts while his legs automatically walked him to his favorite spot that he almost didn't realize that there was already somebody there until he was faced with a slender yet shapely silhouette. It was encased in a strapless red form fitting dress which ended mid-way down her thigh. He couldn't see her face because she was staring out into the night, but she had thick wavy hair and that ass… oh lord that ass…_

_Without even realizing he let out a low whistle._

_He girl suddenly spun round to face him, revealing the hugest pair of glassy doe eyes he'd ever seen._

_"I'm so sorry- I know I shouldn't be up here- I got lost and then i-" She spun and tried to leave but he grabbed her arm._

_"It's fine. You can stay."_

_She looked down at his hand on her arm then glared at his face and he sheepishly removed it. "I mean, I don't think you need permission to be up here but if you did then I'm granting you it."_

_Her eyes narrowed at him but she didn't move any closer. "And what gives you the right to give me permission to do anything."_

_He smiled and shrugged. "Oh I dunno. Just stuff I guess."_

_"Yeah, well I guess I'm leaving."_

_For some reason he felt sad that she was going to go. "You don't have to leave. You've already found the best viewing spot on the roof. It would be a shame for someone to force you out of it before you were ready."_

_She looked reluctantly back out over the city. "Yeah, well…"_

_"Look, how about this, I let you stand where you were in the best spot, and I'll stand here a little ways down and we can both just stare out and get lost in our thoughts again. There's plenty of room to share up here."_

_She looked up at him warily but he could tell that she really didn't want to leave unless she really had to._

_"Well," he turned and walked over to his chosen spot "I'm just going to stand right here and stare out into the night to my heart's content. You're welcome to stay and take the best spot or you can go and I'll just scooch over. Your choice."_

_He stood for moment before feeling her staring at him intensely before resuming her position a couple of meters away. They stood like that for at least fifteen minutes before he heard the first sniffle. The second followed about a minute later but the third only took about thirty seconds. Oh shit. Now he had a crier on his hands. He should have just stayed with Puck. There was nothing harder to deal with than a crying girl. Especially after a day like the one he'd just had._

_He looked over at her. "You crying?"_

_"I'm not crying."_

_"Good. Coz I'm not checking out your ass either!"_

_He saw her bite her lip. That statement could have gone one of two ways but thankfully she found it funny as she failed to bite back her smile._

_"See. I made you smile. Hopefully it'll make you feel better already."_

_He saw her cast her eyes to the ground and attempt to subtly wipe a tear with her hands and he sighed inwardly to himself. "The thing is, if you had admitted that you were crying, I would have offered you the use of this mighty fine handkerchief from my top pocket." She shook her head, still refusing to look at him. "It's unused, I promise. Just some sort of fashion accessory." He quickly pulled it out of the top pocket of his suit jacket and made an exaggerated sigh of relief. "That was lucky. For one horrible moment I thought that maybe it might have been sewn in and I would have embarrassed myself in front of a pretty girl!"_

_This time he saw her shoulders move as she fought a giggle._

_"Here." He took a step towards her and held out the small piece of fabric to her. "Okay, are you just going to leave me hanging with my arm stretched out or are you actually going to take the thing?" He took another step closer to ease the stretch of his arm and she reluctantly took it at dabbed at her eyes._

_Sam rolled his eyes. "I did not give you that just for a couple of quick dabs!" He pulled the fabric from her hands, stepping again to stand next to her before folding it and holding it over her nose. "Blow!"_

_She tried to back away but he held her still. "You heard me, blow!"_

_Totally stunned she did as she was told, blowing gently._

_He shook his head. "None of that dainty shit. I heard to sniffing. Just blow properly. There's nobody up here to judge you."_

_Giving in she blew loudly and he handed her control of the handkerchief to clean up properly. "Feel better?"_

_She finally looked up at him and smiled a watery smile. "By the way, you can keep the hankie. I'm not a big fan on snot!"_

_"Thanks."_

_"So do you want to talk about it?"_

_She shook her head. "Are you sure? Just tell me who I need to go and beat up for making a pretty girl like you cry and I'll get straight on the case."_

_This time she let out an ironic chuckle and he started to feel as though maybe he was starting to hit on the right problem._

_"But seriously, is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?"_

_She looked at him hard, as if trying to decide if he was a threat or not before finally speaking. "I guess you could give me a hug."_

_He smiled. "That I can do. One hug coming right up!" He scooped her in his arms and his nostrils were filled with a pleasant scent. Damn she smelled good!_

_As she rested her head on his chest he mused at the irony of the fact that this was the second crying person he'd had in his arms today._

_They stayed like that for the longest while, his arms wrapped around her while she occasionally dabbed at her face. He suddenly noticed goosebumps on her skin. "Are you getting cold?"_

_"Nope."_

_He was going to counter her claim when he realized that it wasn't cold at all. There had to be another cause for her goosebumps. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm and the goosebumps became more and more pronounced._

_She shuffled from his grip but he refused to let go of her completely._

_"I must look like such a mess!"_

_"Nope. You look really pretty!"_

_She scoffed. "Yeah, you're just saying that."_

_"Nope. You have really pretty eyes."_

_"Yeah. That are all fat and puffy from crying."_

_"You have eyes that are big and glassy from crying. You're gorgeous! Why the hell do you thing I stuck around so long?"_

_She scoffed again. "Just a damsel in distress."_

_"A beautiful damsel."_

_"Don't use words you don't mean."_

_"I never do." He was now looking at her nose which was a really cute button nose. He had to focus on her nose because he looked down at her breasts he would be lost forever._

_She looked over at the fire exit entrance that they had both come through. "Well I'd better get going now. My friend will be wondering where I am. Thanks again for the hankie and the hug."_

_He smiled. "My pleasure."_

_She paused again momentarily before reaching up and lightly pecking a kiss on the cheek. As she tried to pull away from him he tightened his grip again. He didn't know why but he had to make her understand. "You **are** beautiful."_

_She went to scoff again but he stopped her by meeting his lips with hers. He didn't plan on kissing her like that but something told him that she needed the reassurance that she was attractive. The other thing he didn't plan on was his reaction to the kiss. Her lips were soft and welcoming and felt good against his. He'd kissed so many girls but he already knew he was going to remember this one._

_She pulled away from him, surprised and confused and stared at him thoughtfully for a second before turning the tables on him. She reached back up and returned the kiss, harder and deeper than the first one. Before long he was sucking at her bottom lip and she was opening her mouth to him for their tongues to collide._

_Moments later they had travelled, she was backed up against a wall with her arms around his neck while he licked and nipped his way down her throat._

_He looked at her face to see if she was okay with this and her eyes were closed while her mouth was open and she moaned "Don't stop." So he didn't._

_With one hand he pushed down the top of her dress, exposing one breast which he immediately set upon like a famished man with a feast laid out in front of him. Before long her back was arched, her head was thrown back and her legs were wrapped around his waist as he ground his hips and hardness against her."_

_"Please don't stop."_

_He was as intoxicated as she was. _

_S__o he didn't._

_As he reached inside his jacket pocket for a condom he saw her pause slightly. "Are you really sure about this? Coz I can stop now but I'm not sure if I'll be able to soon."_

_She pulled him into another kiss. "I really need this."_

_Somehow he really needed it too as he pushed her panties aside and thrust into her wetness again and again. They both moaned at the sensations. For a quickie it felt **damned good**!_

_And then it was over._

_He was still kissing her as they came down from their high when he felt the phone ring in his back pocket. Looking at the screen he saw that it was Puck and knew he'd better answer before his friend sent out a search party._

_"Hey man!... What am I doing? Nothing. Just chilling on the roof for a bit… Yeah, sure… I'll be down in a bit, I just have to-"_

_He looked up at the sound of the fire escape slamming. But the time he zipped himself up and followed her she was out of sight._

_And he never even caught her name..._

* * *

"Sam? Sam?"

He saw his friend waving madly in front of his eyes. Somehow he was back in the seat even though he had no recollection of how he had got there.

"Sam? What the hell just happened there?"

Sam shot his friend a dark look for interrupting his thoughts. He was feeling all kinds of crazy. He had a child and she had kept it secret from him for all this time? There would be hell to pay! He reached through his pockets for his phone.

"I need to call my lawyer!"


	3. Introducing Miss Mercedes Jones!

**_Thanks again for all your support, reviews and messages. 71 follows and we're only 2 chapters in! No pressure there then... (read that as me experiencing sheer blind panic over getting this fic right!)_**

**_I've noticed a couple of questions came up so I'll try to answer them without spoiling the plot._**

**_1. Yes they did use a condom. I went back and slightly changed what Mercedes said because I realise it makes this fact seem ambiguous. There is no way that I would let them have random unprotected sex like that. I have far too much respect for both their characters to do something that crazy as strangers._**

**_2. Ages: When they first met, Sam was 25 and he is now 32 in the present time. Mercedes is a little younger than Sam but I haven't decided by how much yet. Stevie was 32 at the time and is now 39 and Holly is 41._**

**_3. Mercedes did not see Sam in chapter 1. She genuinely was running for the bus at the beginning of the fic._**

**_4. My description of Mercedes:_****_ I wrote it like that for a reason and it will be developed later in the story. Mercedes in the present time is slightly larger than Amber Riley is right now._**

**_Now, introducing Miss Mercedes Jones..._**

* * *

This wasn't going to work out.

Mercedes had had an inkling that this was the case during the first date. She was feeling skeptical during the second and was now finding that the third could not end fast enough. She secretly congratulated herself on opting to meet for lunch rather than dinner but this still felt like a non-event.

She stared at George's mouth and tried her best to tune back in to what he was saying. It was exceptionally hard because he kept talking with his mouth full which she really hated. After telling Cheyenne on a daily basis not to do it she was constantly fighting to urge to snap at the guy sitting across from her and tell him that her child had better table manners than he did! He made too much noise when he chewed plus kept unnecessarily smacking and licking his lips which made her want to hurl.

"Don't you agree baby?"

"Huh?" She made out just in time that he was asking her a question. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch the last bit." _And who the hell gave you permission to call me 'baby'? I'm a grown ass woman!_

"About the election. And the agenda for healthcare reform."

"Yeah. Yes I do think it's a good idea. But I don't see how it's workable with the way things are set up at the moment."

Mercedes hated talking politics. It's not that she didn't follow the news because she did. It's just, well, there were far more fun things to think about, especially when it was rare for her to be out like this in the first place. George struggled on with the subject for a little longer before falling quiet.

They ate in silence for a few moments and Mercedes was glad for the lack of interruption to her thoughts. She didn't know why she continually put herself through this excruciating ritual.

That wasn't true. She knew exactly why she did it. She was the only person on this planet whose mom had a better love life than she did. Since the passing of her dad, it was like Mercedes' mom had been given a new lease of life. The woman had had no shortage of dates and even though her mom had been the one that Mercedes could move in with her so that she could support her and help with childcare, she still felt like she was being a burden to her mother. Especially now that her mon had found _the one. _

Artie Abrahams Jnr was a total character. Mercedes didn't want to like him because of what he represented in her life but it was impossible not to like him. For the last eighteen months he had been her mother's world and she had been far happier than she had ever been with her father. Artie himself was unusual to say the least. At first he wasn't that much to look at, dark brown hair greying at the temples and blue eyes behind reasonably thick glasses but five minutes in his presence would make even the most depressed person smile. He had not had the easiest of lives, a car accident when he was young meant that he spent most of his childhood, teens and early twenties confined to a wheelchair. A pioneering operation finally allowed him to walk again but only with the use of a cane. Artie walked around with it proudly, stating that it made him look like a pimp and was always sure to team it up with a hat. The cane combined with his lively personality, humor, musicality, plus the fact that he was convinced he was a black man trapped inside a Jewish body meant that he brought no end of amusement to them. The man always said the funniest things and scattered outrageous complements like fairydust.

Even Cheyenne loved her 'uncle Artie' and they all knew that he was a man in love too. Mercedes' mom Dionne never said as much but the fact that she returned those feelings was obvious in her manner and her tone. And then there was the day Mercedes had sprayed her breakfast half way across the kitchen when her mom had revealed that although Artie walked with a limp and a cane, his hips were more than fully functioning when it came to 'the important things in life'.

_Nobody_ needs to know that kind of information about their mother.

But things were definitely serious between her mother and Artie. He was frequently starting to stay over and now more than ever Mercedes felt like she was in the way. For the last couple of years she had desperately wanted to move out, get her own place and raise her child her own way. But as a single mother on a single income it was hard if not impossible. She didn't want to have to rely on her mom forever but what else could she do? Besides, it had been years since she had been in any real kind of a relationship and she'd fallen back into her cycle of comfort eating and, well, just comfort eating. Yes she was heavy, she knew it, but eating filled a hole which was probably going to stay open for the rest of he life. Realistically, what guy would want a woman with another man's child who still lived with her mom and whose shape was less rapidly expanding to the size she'd been during late pregnancy? It was impossible. Sure she'd been on the occasional dates, but either they ran or she did before anything became serious.

Was it wrong that she just wanted to get settled for her daughter? It's not that she _needed_ a man. Because she didn't. But just sometimes it would be nice to come home to someone and have some adult conversation. To share a movie with someone that wasn't a G rated Disney cartoon. Sure she had her mom but that wasn't the same. Quinn had offered to share a place with her but she refused to take her up on it. The offer had been kind and well meant but she knew deep down that having a child in the home would cramp Quinn's style. Hell it cramped her style too and there was no way she would do it to her best friend.

And yet, with all of these thoughts, she wouldn't change her life for the world. Cheyenne was the most amazing gift in the world and she simply could not imagine life without her. The little girl's smiles, kisses and unconditional love got her through even the loneliest of moments.

The hardest part was when she asked about her father. Even after all these years she still didn't really know what to say. She knew that soon her answers of 'daddy loves you and he's asked me to take extra special care of you because he can't be here' would not be enough of an explanation. But she would cross that bridge when she came to it and not a day before. To everyone else she had told a story as near to the truth as possible. In a moment of weakness and depression she had hooked up with a stranger who she had no way of getting in contact with when she found out she was pregnant. She knew that it didn't paint her in great light, but those who knew her and what she had been through showed a greater level of compassion and understanding.

Cheyenne was a gift. Cheyenne saved her life. And nothing was ever going to come between her and her child. If she ever had to make the choice between her daughter and finding love, the little girl would win every time. No contest at all. Every man she dated, she assessed them first as a potential father for her daughter, and then as company for herself. And although she could think of nobody as badly as she did Cheyenne's _real _father, she had come across some other real douchebags in her time.

Although she knew this date wasn't going anywhere, she at least had to be polite. She smiled up at George and he smiled hesitantly back at her. She decided that it was her turn to initiate conversation. "How's your chicken?" For a man who liked his food, he had been pushing it around his plate for the last five minutes, the same as she had been pushing around hers.

"It's fine..." His expression looked troubled, as if he was trying to find the words to say something so she simply waited. "But Mercedes… I don't think this is going to work out. For us I mean." His words came out in a crazy rush.

"Oh thank god for that!" Mercedes' hand flew over her mouth. _Why the hell did she just say that out loud?_

Instead of being angry George smiled. "Wow, I didn't realize I was _that_ bad!"

"I know! I mean no! I mean- I'm sorry. I just wanted to say I agree with you. I've enjoyed spending time with you but I don't really see us going anywhere. As an _us _I mean."

George's eyes twinkled as he chuckled. "Don't worry. I understand. This whole thing seems a bit _forced _if you know what I mean. I like you, but if I'm honest I'm not ready for a serious relationship and I don't think I'm ready for a child yet either."

"That's okay. I'm glad that you're honest. I- I guess I just wasn't feeling much chemistry between us. I have a nice time with you, but it's not the epic romance I was promised by my mom's friend."

"Hey, I've only been divorced for nine months. I think we've both been pushed into this one! I'm not entirely sure why I even agreed to this."

"Me neither. Yet we somehow managed three dates."

George chuckled. "Yeah, we did. I guess we're just two people who don't get out much."

"I guess so. And we liked each other enough to do this three times so it can't have been all that bad!"

Ironically, without the pressure of it being a date, they enjoyed the lunch far more, talking and laughing freely. Even George's eating suddenly seemed less noisy, or maybe it was because she was suddenly being less picky. They both relaxed and instead of feeling the need to impress each other with 'intellingent' subjects, fell into easy conversation about movies and childhood memories of TV programs.

Before long, Mercedes was laughing in a way that she hadn't laughed with anyone in a long time with the exception of Quinn.

By the time the meal ended Mercedes had to admit that she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. Without the pressure of being on a 'date' and trying to impress, she actually let herself relax and go with the flow. In another universe she could actually see George among her circle of friends. She wondered if she would ever be comfortable enough around him to let him know that the moustache he was growing really wasn't working. It's not that he wasn't an attractive man. It's just that the slug on his top lip was distracting.

George scooped up the bill as soon as it arrived despite her protestations.

"George, if we've agreed to be friends and this isn't a date then I can't let you pay."

He shook his head at her. "Nonsense!" He pulled out his card.

"I'm serious! Can't we at least split it?"

"Nope. This is my treat. I've had fun and I just wanted to thank you for it. I haven't been getting out much and I think I needed the laughs we've had over this lunch more than I realized. I promise next time we'll split it as a friends lunch. How does that sound?"

Mercedes wasn't entirely happy but decided to let it go for now, having enjoyed having the adult company.

"So what are your plans for this afternoon?" George walked her to her car and seemed in no rush to get off.

"I have to get back to the little one. My mom's got a date of her own this evening so I promised I would be around. Will probably text Quinn to see if she wants to come round for a movie or something later. What about you?"

"Some of the guys from work are going to watch the game so i'll tag along. It's a standing arrangement they have every week and it's open invitation. I'd forgotten what it was like to be single and actually be able to make spontaneous decisions about what to do with your time."

Mercedes fished around in her bag. "Yeah well try having a child. It kinda kills that forever!"

He chuckled but she frowned as she continued to search frantically in her bag. "You lost something?"

"I don't know..." Her frown deepend as she checked through all of the pockets of her purse for a third time. "I can't find my cell. I thought I remembered putting it in my bag but now I'm not so sure."

He looked concerned. "Well if it's any help I didn't see you with it at all today so maybe it's still at home."

She sighed. "Yeah. Maybe. I hope so. Anyway, I'd better go. Mom hates it when she can't reach me."

"Sure. Stay in touch okay?"

"Definitely." He enveloped her in warm hug before watching her get into her car. She smiled back at him and waved as she pulled out of her space. Now that there was no pressure of dating she liked him much more. Maybe they would stay in touch. Cheyenne didn't have any positive male figures in her life and she really needed to start to start having some.

The drive home did not take very long. The beauty of a lunch date is it leaves a good chunk of the day to get other things done. Cheyenne had to dress up as a fairy for her school assembly on Monday and she was nowhere near finished with the outfit. With her bright eyes and thick curly hair, her daugher was going to be the fairest fairy of them all with her exceptionally pretty looks. Cheyenne's resemblence to her father was uncanny. To Mercedes it was blindingly obvious who her father was and his reflection stared back at her every single day as a bitter reminder. But nobody else saw it. How could they? Nobody would ever in a million years make a connection between the two of them and that's the way she intended to keep it. He clearly wanted no part in his child's life and that was fine. She didn't need his money. And she had more than enough love for the both of them. The dificulty would come when Cheyenne comes of age. There was no way that she would be able to lie to her face and there was every chance that she was going to want to track down her real father. The thing was, what was she going to say?

After many sleepless nights musing over the scenario she decided that she was just going to have to face it head on. When Cheyenne turned 18, if she wanted to know about her father she would tell her the truth. And if she wanted to meet him then she would move mountains to make it happen, even if it meant stalking all of his press appearances til he gave them the time of day. They would confront him together, and if he still insisted he wanted nothing to do with them he would have to say it to their faces this time. She wasn't going to give him the coward's option of using somebody else to relay the news.

The thought of having to do it already made her feel sick with nerves even though she still had another twelve years to work herself up to it. Mercedes knew that it would hurt Cheyenne to know the truth, but living with the lie would be even worse and there was no reason for her to lie when she was old enough to start finding the truth for herself.

Each time she saw picture of Sam Evans in the media, stepping out with yet another young floozy it made her wonder just how many other women like her were out there. Maybe she'd never know. Life wasn't fair and she'd spent her entire life learning that lesson. It would be a hard lesson for her daughter to learn, but she'd support and stand by her every step of the way. She knew that there would be a good chance that her daughter would resent her for what happened, but she hoped their close bond would get them through it eventually.

Mercedes sighed as she turned into her street. She didn't know why her thoughts today had been filled with thoughts of Cheyenne and her father but for some reason they were. Worse still, there was a sense of foreboding at the pit of her stomach that she just couldn't quite explain. It had been there since she had woken first thing in the morning and she had atributed it to pre date nerves, but it was still there and now stronger than ever.

As she pulled up outside the house she heard her phone ring. She must have left it in the car after all! Maybe it had slipped out of her bag in her haste to get to the restaurant. Quickly switching off the engine and unbuckling her seatbelt she fished underneath her seat until she felt it. Her feeling of relief was immense.

The phone had stopped ringing the moment her fingers had touched it and by the time she had it in her hands it beeped with a voicemail. Checking her screen she noticed a whole host of calls. One from her mom and _nine _from Quinn. There were also several texts from Quinn and three voicemails. Rather than waste her time and credit listening to the messages she immediately hit 'call' to speak to her friend, wondering what the hell had caused her to blow up her phone like that in such a short period of time. Holding the phone against her ear with her shoulder she climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind her and fished through her bag for the key to lock her vehicle.

Quinn answered within one ring. "Oh my god Mercedes! Where have you been! I've-"

"Sorry girl. I dropped my phone in the car and it's been under my seat the whole time. How come you've been blowing up my- OH SHIT! Babe I'll call you right back!"

She ended the call and damn near dropped the phone at the sight of the man who had appeared beside her from seemingly nowhere, arms folded against his strong chest.

His voice was a familiar deep baritone. "Mercedes Jones, you are one hell of a difficult woman to track down!"

This was the moment she had been dreading for the last six years. The worst case scenario.

She slowly stiffened her spine, lifted her eyes and locked them with the steely green ones that were glaring back at her…

* * *

**_So the plot thickens..._**

**_Samcedes meet at last and we're about to get some answers! Clearly all is not as it seems!_**

**_Next chapter: *insert IT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN! gif*_**


	4. Revelations Part 1

_**Thanks for all the reviews. It's been fascinating to read everyone's speculation about what's happened with these two.**_

_**At last the wait is finally over! (For a chunk of it at least)**_

_**What can I say, Samcedes are extremely stubborn but the truth will always out in the end and I don't think anyone was expecting it...**_

* * *

_**Sam's POV**_

Sam was ready to expect the unexpected but he was still taken aback by the hard stare of the short woman in front of him. She'd changed a lot since their last encounter. Crying Girl had put on a significant amount of weight which he guessed was atributed to motherhood and the long curly hair had been replaced by braids. Instead of the sexy dress were black trousers and a tunic top. The only thing that was the same were her eyes. Still big and doe like, but this time glistening with anger.

He had played this scenario through his head several times over the last couple of weeks and in almost every single one of the she had tried to run.

Never had he imagined that she would immediately stand her ground and it never even occurred to him that she would be the first to speak.

"You've got some nerve! Why the hell are you here?"

Again, not the question he was expecting. His money had been on 'how did you find me?' In an attempt not to raise his voice it ended up coming out as a low growl. "You know exactly why I'm here. I've come to claim what's mine!"

"_Yours?_" He watched as she waved her hands and pretended to look around.

For some reason, that action made him even more furious. "You know exactly what I mean! Did you really think that you were going to get away with it forever?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Get away with _what_ exactly?"

"I. Have. A .Child!" He said the words slowly and deliberately. Again, there was no change in her expression. It was almost as if she was prepared for this confrontation.

"And what makes you so sure that she's yours?"

_Where did this bitch think she was going to get off? _"Because she fucking looks exactly like me!"

Finally she started to look panicked. "When exactly did you see my baby?"

_Now he had her!_

She huffed a little but quickly calmed herself and didn't back down. "You must be mistaken. Don't worry, I remember very clearly that we used a condom so you're absolved of all guilt. It couldn't possibly be true!"

Sam knew that he was struggling to keep his cool. He had already been warned, but fuck the warnings! "I'm not trying to be absolved! I have a daughter. She is _my_ daughter. I am her father. And as such I have rights concerning custody and visitation!" As he said those words he could see her completely losing her cool. Finally he had her!

"You can't take away my child!" Her eyes were wide now as he could see her losing her grip on their argument..

Sam scoffed. "Just watch me! Once we get the paternity testing done my legal team will tie you up in so many knots you won't know your left from your right. And if I'm feeling generous you might be able to see her at weekends and maybe half the holidays! Hell, if you decide to try and completely screw me over I'm sure we can dig around a little and find ways of getting you declared as an unfit mother!"

Despite her dark skin he saw her pale at his threat and her voice lost all its venom, becoming soft and childlike. "You wouldn't.."

"Just watch me! How the hell do you think I felt when I found out you'd carefully hidden my child from me."

"I didn't hide her!"

"So why did it take an accidental sighting and a private investigator to track you down?"

"That's your problem not mine. I was only ever a phone call away if you had really wanted a part in any of this!" She was starting to recover herself and he was determined to keep the upper hand.

"Liar!" Sam kept his voice cold and deliberate when he said the word but inside he was screaming.

"How _dare _you accuse me of lying!" Mercedes' screaming was far less 'internal' and Sam suddenly remembered that the last thing he wanted to do was make a scene in front of all the neighbors.

He'd had enough. He couldn't understand why he'd been told to try and talk to her first. He could have told them that this would happen. Some people liked to do things the difficult way and Mercedes Jones was clearly one of them.

He stepped back in frustration. "Look- I just can't – with you. Okay?" He ran his hand frustratedly through his hair as she glared at him. Enough was enough. Reaching into his inner pocket he pulled out one of his personal cards. "This is my personal cell number. You have seven days to contact me. Seven days for us to sort things out between us like responsible adults. If you can't find it in you to do that within the allotted time then you will be hearing from my legal team." He really had to resist the urge to throttle the young woman in front of him. "Dammit! What is wrong with you? She has an uncle and aunts who would dote over her and she could have the best of everything that life can give her. _You_ are the one holding her back from it. She's already missed six years, don't make her miss anymore. I only want what's best for the child."

"Rot in hell!" Mercedes knocked the card out of his hand to the ground and left him standing in the street.

"I left another one inside with your mom!" He called after her.

Sam could do nothing but stare as he watched her distractedly open her front door before hurriedly entering and slamming it behind her. With a heavy sigh he bent down to retrieve the card from the ground and slipped it back into his pocket.

How the hell had he ended up having sex with such a bitch? He always knew that wandering dick of his would get him into trouble one day but he had never envisioned something like this. Hurrying to his car he sat in the seat and rested his head on the steering wheel with a groan.

As usual he was right and everyone else was wrong. When he had finally calmed down and spilled his story to Puck, the day that he had caught a glimpse of his child, Puck's first reaction was to tell him that he needed to find her and talk to her. Deep down he knew that it was the voice of reason but he didn't want to hear it. He was too angry at the thought of her having kept this secret for so long. He'd had no idea who she was, but surely she would have known exactly who _he_ was. She would have had no excuse for not reaching out to him. And although it would have been a huge shock to the system he would have helped her out. Sam Evans was a lot of things, but he wasn't a heartless bastard. At least not without being provoked first. Complete silence from her was inexcusable as far as he was concerned.

Unfortunately his lawyer thought along the same lines as Puck, saying it would be unwise to put up any form of legal challenge against her without attempting to come to their own amicable agreement first. She had told him that to attempt to take a child from its mother would be difficult, even under those circumstances and they were far better off coming to their own arrangements and making those legally binding rather than leaving the fate of a child in the hands of others.

That was the point where Sam had begun to resent the fact that his lawyer was a woman. Only a woman would say shit like that. But he had heeded her advice and enlisted the help of a private investigator. There wasn't much to go on. A blond woman with no name at a diner. The most concrete thing they had was a first name and approximate age of the child. And it had taken longer than expected due to unexpected difficulties like Mercedes currently residing with her mother who had returned back to her maiden name and was therefore no longer a Jones. It was only through tailing her friend at the diner, who had turned out to be one Quinn Fabray, that they actually got somewhere on the location of the woman.

But yesterday she had been found. Sam had resorted to threatening the investigator for not coming up with anything fast enough but at last there were results. And so there should be. He was paying the man enough to do the job! And today all checks had been confirmed. Sam had wasted no time when he had received the call to say that there was a confirmed address. It didn't matter that it was a Sunday and he already had plans with his girlfriend. He instantly jumped into his car and made his way over there as fast as the speed limit would allow him.

Punching the steering wheel in frustration he suddenly felt his phone buzzing.

"Hey Puck!"

"Please tell me that you didn't threaten her."

"I had to-"

"Shit Sam, tell me what happened!"

"I told her we would get her declared as an unfit mother if she didn't let me have my custody rights!"

"What the hell Sam! You've done precisely what you were advised _not _to do!"

"I couldn't help it. You weren't there. You didn't see the bitch! She started trying to tell me that the child wasn't mine!"

"Listen to me! Ever heard of the saying about trying to shell a nut with a sledgehammer? Put yourself in her shoes! It's just you and your child for six years then suddenly some man pitches up in the middle of the street demanding custody. Hell, if some stranger came up to me demanding a piece of Beth I would knock their lights out first and ask questions later! How did it end?"

"She told me to rot in hell!"

"Well then you're fucked aren't you! Did you remember to give her the seven days wait time?"

"Of course."

"Well at least that's something. But after what you've just said went down, I wouldn't be suprised if she used the seven days to make a run for it with the child."

"She wouldn't..."

"For your sake she'd better not."

"I just don't see how she can think she's in the right. She seems to have some crazy notion that she was just a phone call away. I didn't even know her name til yesterday!"

"And you're sure she never tried to reach you?"

"Positive! You were there Puck! You know that I didn't know a thing about this til that day!"

"Has it occured to you that maybe while you didn't, somebody else did?"

"Well... no! But- she kept the secret all this time! How the hell do I know she's not lying when she said that?"

"You don't. It's called giving someone the benefit of the doubt. Although knowing you you'd probably just call her a- Oh Sam, please tell me you didn't..."

"It just slipped out!"

"For fuck sake Evans!" Sam heard his friend sigh down the phone but didn't know what else to say until he heard his voice again. "Look, I have an idea about damage limitation. It's a long shot but luckily you're my best friend so I'll give it a go. My advice to you right now is to just go home and calm down. I need to make a couple of calls and get back to you."

Sam sighed. He was too stressed and tired to be dealing with this right now. All he knew was that he needed to put some space between himself and _that woman_ before he did some real damage.

"Sure. My head hurts anyway!"

Sam ended the call, cranked the music up and began the long drive home.

* * *

_**Mercedes' POV**_

By the time the door had slammed shut behind her she was already blinded by tears. She just didn't need _that man_ to see them. How dare he just pitch up like that! He'd used a private investigator to find out where she lived! What the hell else had he been able to find out about her?

"Where are you ma?" For a horrible moment she wondered if Sam had already tried to take her child.

"We're in here watching Little Mermaid!"

She forced a smile, hoping it would relay in her voice. "That's great! I'll be through in a second. Just need to take off these shoes, they're killing me!"

There was nothing wrong with the extremely comfortable flat shoes that she was wearing. She just didn't want her mom and her child to see her in this state. Running straight into her room, she kicked off the shoes and climbed straight into bed fully clothed, shivering from shock and sobbing into her pillow. _How could her day have travelled so far up shit creek in such a short period of time?_

After a couple of minutes she acknowledged that this was the wrong thing to do and willed herself to move. A couple of minutes more and her body finally started to respond. Dragging herself heavily, she pulled herself up until her back was up against the headboard. Then she did what she had practiced, slow long deep breaths in followed by slow long releases of air. Soon her sobs had slowed to sniffles and gulps. A few moments more and she was ready to move again. She had to get out of the room before her mom came up to see what was wrong. Yet another reason to move out. Sometimes this place could be so stifling. She couldn't even have a decent cry in peace!

Finally satisfied that her tears had subsided she quickly sat in front to the mirror, taking a wipe and cleaning her face. Tight feeling of anxiety in her chest was not so easily wiped away but at least she was able to make herself presentable. Slipping on her comfy grey sweats and pulling back her hair she finally felt ready to leave the room.

Avoiding the lounge she headed straight for the kitchen and immediately pulled out the mixing bowl and various ingredients. She was already creaming butter, sugar and peanut butter by the time her mom came in. The woman said nothing and she could feel her just taking in the scene. Mercedes really didn't need this right now. She already had a lot of stuff to think about but right now she just needed a batch of cookies.

"What are you baking?"

"I thought I'd bake some cookies for Chey to have after dinner."

"What flavor?"

"Peanut butter chocolate chip."

"Uh huh…" Mercedes knew that tone. It was what her mom did just before she launched into something that she didn't want to hear. But this time, the intervening silence seemed to drag on forever. "Look honey, we both know Chey likes the peanut butter without the chocolate chips. Did the date really go that badly?"

Mercedes frowned. "Date?"

As Dionne looked at her daughter, all the pieces suddenly fell together. "You know. You, George and lunch?"

"George! Oh yes!" Mercedes suddenly brightened at the thought. "We had a really good time."

Dionne raised her eyebrow. "So there'll be more dates?"

"Well, not exactly. We decided that it wasn't really going to work out with us."

"And you call that a really good time?"

"Well actually yes. Once we got that out of the way we both relaxed enough to actually start to enjoy each other's company. He really is a nice guy. I think I was just being too harsh on him because I was looking for a way out of dating him. When we say we're going to stay in touch and be friends I genuinely think we mean it."

"Well I'm glad things worked out with you." She stepped forward and pinched a little of the cookie mixture from the bowl. "So I'm guessing if it's not the date that upset you, then it has to be something to do with that attractive big lipped young man who was here asking for you earlier."

Mercedes stopped mid stir, feeling frozen to the spot. "What did he say ma?"

"He just asked if you were home. And when I said you were out he scribbled a number on a card and handed it to me. He didn't leave his name but he looked familiar."

She started stirring again, significantly faster than was necessary.

"Mercedes, I need to ask you something."

She began to stir even faster. "What is it?"

Her mom gently rested her hand on top of her daughters and released the spoon, letting it fall against the side of the bowl with a small clanking sound. "Is that man Cheyenne's father?"

Mercedes tried to avoid her eyes but it had always been impossible for her to keep things from her mom once she'd been asked a direct question.

"Mercy? Answer me!"

"Yes ma!"

"And that's a bad thing because…"

"He wants to take her away from me!"

The older woman folded her arms against her ample breasts. "Really? He said that?"

"Yes he did!"

She frowned. "That doesn't make sense. The man is an absent father, is polite as hell to me when he finally gets here then threatens to take your child away?"

"Yes ma! That's exactly it!"

"Something's not right!"

"That's exactly how it happened. He says he has rights as a father!"

"Well that part's not wrong. Now you know how I always like to play devil's advocate so I can get things straight in my head and I know exactly how hot headed you can be so I'm going to ask this just once, did he come barging straight to you saying he wants to take your child away or is there any even hint of a possibility that you may have said something to trigger him off?"

Mercedes was all fired up to defend herself before realizing she was the one to a antagonize him. She lowered her head again and spoke in a very soft voice "I may have told him that the child is not his."

"Mercy!"

"It just came out! He had caught me unawares, trying to claim what he said was his! Besides, genetically he may be the dad but the reality is his contribution has been the same amount as a sperm donor."

"So you have no feelings for this guy?"

"Hell no! It was a mistake I made years ago when I was drunk and upset. We owe each other nothing."

"That's true. But if somehow he had found out and decided to try and step up to the mark and take some of the responsibility then why are you fighting this?"

"Because he doesn't really want her! He could have been there right from the beginning but he said he wanted nothing to do with this!"

Dionne backed up. "Wait! First you're saying you only met this guy once and now you're saying he knew you were pregnant and wanted nothing to do with it?"

Mercedes sighed. "I didn't lie. I did only meet him the once. And at the time I didn't know who he was. But then I saw him on TV and made the connection. Once I knew I was pregnant I tried to make contact but was turned away at every turn. I gave him a chance to be a part of this and he wanted none of it. He probably thought I did it on purpose to get money out of him but I didn't."

"Hang on. So now you're saying he has money?"

"Lots of it!"

"Then child you are owed years of child support! Call him and fix this!"

"I can't! He's rich and he's powerful…"

"And he's a man with a beautiful child. You can't think about just yourself on this one. Has it even occurred to you that Cheyenne needs to know her father."

"Yes I have! And I will, when she's eighteen and old enough to deal with it!"

"But he's offering to do it now!"

"Well he can't!"

Dionne took note of the hard look in her daughter's eyes and didn't even bother attempting to continue the argument. Her daughter was strong willed. But she forgot just who it was that she had inherited the strong will from. She stared at the card for a moment, flipping it between her fingers before saying "Well I guess you won't be needing this anymore!"

Just as her daughter started to realize what was happening, she took the card, and without breaking eye contact, shoved it straight inside her bra. Mercedes let out a garbled cry of defeat while she smiled smugly. If Mercedes wasn't going to call this man and find out what he was up to then maybe she would. Something told her that she still hadn't been given the whole story. But her daughter had already been through so much. If this man was a rat then she would get to the bottom of it once and for all!

* * *

It wasn't until she had burned her tongue trying to eat three of the cookies straight from the oven that she finally remembered to call Quinn back. As she raced upstairs to retrieve the phone from her bag she looked into the lounge to see Cheyenne asleep with her head on her mom's lap. She had no idea if her mom had made the call yet and it didn't matter. The two of them were not on speaking terms anymore.

Flicking through the text messages they were as she expected. Quinn had been approached by someone asking lots of questions. It was probably Sam's private investigator.

She ended up on the phone to Quinn for over an hour, finding out what information the investigator had tried to get from her and rehashing her encounter with Sam. Quinn was the person who knew the most about the circumstances of Cheyenne's birth but even she didn't know who the father was. Just that he was rich, influential and not bothered.

After reassuring her friend that she was not mad about any information she had given out and assuring her that if he returned she was at liberty to tell him the truth of what she knew, as long as it didn't cast Mercedes in a bad light she ended the call. Artie would be along soon to take her mom out and she needed to make dinner for herself and the little one.

By the time dinner, reading and bedtime had been done, she retired to the couch with a bottle of wine and all the remaining cookies to muse over the day. It was impossible not to think of Sam and his angry eyes. When she compared it to the funny cheeky charming guy she had met on the rooftop he was a completely different person!

She had a seven day cooling period in which to stress about Sam, but right now it was her mom that she was mad at. Her mom who had absoloutely no right to interfere, no right to take sides and no right to think it was any of her business. All she could hope was that her mom had not followed through with her threat to call Sam, and somehow she could convince Artie to fish it out of her clothing.

Mercedes was just taking a gulp of wine to wash away the thought of Artie fishing around in her mom's bra when there was a loud banging at the door. Five seconds later the banging resumed. If Cheyenne managed to sleep through the racket it would be a miracle!

Checking through the spy hole she immediately drew back but it was too late. He had already seen her.

He banged on the door again. "Mercedes! I know you're there. Please open the door. I owe you an apology!"

_An apology? That's fresh._

And true.

"Please open the door. Your mom says not to leave until we've spoken properly."

_Damn! Her mom really hadn't wasted any time at all!_

It went against everything she felt to open the door and let a man in when she was alone in the house with Chey. As a compromise she opened the door but kept him on the doorstep.

He look relieved when she did it.

"Don't flatter yourself!" She hissed. "I only opened the door because I've already put Chey to bed and there'll be hell if you've woken her with your incessant banging."

To give him credit he genuinely did look like he felt bad about that thought. "I'm sorry" he said quietly.

"Not as sorry as I am!"

He shook his head. "No, seriously. I am sorry about earlier and the things I said. My intention is not to take your daughter away from you. I would never do that."

"So why say it?"

"I was upset and angry. I had so much stuff going on in my head and that was the first thing that blurted out. I'd rehearsed what I was going to say to you but it all flew out of the window when you glared at me."

She couldn't believe he was trying to play the sympathy card. "_You _were upset and angry? How the hell do you think _I _felt? For the last six years I've brought up Cheyenne. We have not spent a single night apart from each other. And then someone, a stranger, comes and says they want to take her away. Saying they're claiming what's there's like a child is a piece of property!" She felt the words starting to catch in the back of her throat. "She's the most precious thing in my life…" Despite herself she felt her eyes starting to well up.

Sam's face was sincerely apologetic. "I know. It was wrong of me. I just wanted a chance to see her and… I don't know, see if we could come to some kind of an agreement."

She folded her arms in a manner reminiscent of her mother as he continued. "I was upset by what you said. About me being absolved of responsibility because of using a condom."

"Well it does."

"No it doesn't. We're both adults and we both know condoms carry a 15% failure rate. Maybe we just got unlucky. That doesn't even matter now. What matters is that we have a child and somehow six years have passed and all I want to do is have a chance at getting to know her."

"You didn't want her then, why are you so interested now?" She sensed him getting angry at her question.

"What do you mean I didn't want her then? I didn't know about it at the time!" Now his arms were folding.

Mercedes could feel her voice rising. "Oh hell to the no! The hoops I had to jump through to get to Mr Sam 'Assistant CEO' Evans. Don't even try to pretend you knew nothing about it."

He narrowed his eyes at her and raised his voice too. "I swear I didn't know!"

"Well then I'll use the word back at you which you used on me earlier. LIAR! There's no way you couldn't have known. You had the damn sonogram with my phone number on the back!"

"And I'm telling you there was _no fucking sonogram!"_

Sam suddenly covered his mouth and looked into the hallway behind her. "Mommy?"

Mercedes turned to see Cheyenne standing on the stairs with her hands over her ears and she felt terrible. "Oh my poor baby!" She ran over and scooped the child up in her arms. "I'm so sorry we woke you!"

"Mommy why is the man shouting?" The little girl had a frown on her face yet still managed to look completely adorable.

"He's shouting because he thinks I can't hear him but I do. But don't worry, he's going to leave right now so shall we say goodbye to the man?" She looked directly at Sam as she continued "And he can apologize to you for waking you up with his shouting."

Cheyenne looked unsure at first, but as she was in the safety of her mom's arms she nodded. Thinking that it would score her brownie points in the 'letting Sam Evans see his child' stakes, she carried her over to the door. Keeping an eye on Sam's face she watched as his expression changed from curiosity to awe as they stood in front of him.

"Chey baby, the man needs to speak to you so please take your hands off your ears." Reluctantly the little girl did so and Sam smiled at her.

"Uh, hi Cheyenne. I just wanted to say sorry that I woke you up with all the banging on the door and the shouting."

"S'okay." She shot him a stern look before shyly burying her face in her mom's neck.

He looked at Mercedes. "And I hope one day that your mommy will give me the chance to make up for it."

She said nothing but as Cheyenne was still playing shy, she grabbed one of her hands to wave at Sam. "Say goodnight!"

"But-" Sam looked as if he still hadn't finished what he was saying. "I still didn't know. Are you sure you left the sonogram for me?"

Her eyes flashed with anger once more. "I remember it perfectly." She stiffened her spine, took on the manner of someone else and recited the words that had haunted her since that fateful day "Mr Evans has advised me to inform you that he is tired of your attempts at blackmail and wants to make you aware that if you attempt to contact him or his family, or enter this building again, you will be charged with stalking and harassment."

"Wait! Was that-"

"I have to put my baby back to bed now." She gently pushed the stunned man over the threshold and closed the door behind him.

As she turned to put her child back to bed, Mercedes had no way of knowing that he stood frozen outside the door, wondering how the hell she had just managed to do a perfect impression of his longtime personal assistant, a certain Miss Rachel Berry.

Rushing to his car he looked at his watch. It was too late to do anything about it now. But first thing tomorrow morning he was going to march into the office to get himself some answers.

And someone will have hell to pay.

* * *

_**Okay, apology time. I had no idea I was so full of words! But we have answered some stuff.**_

_**Next chapter Samcedes will actually sit down and have a proper conversation where more will be revealed.**_


	5. Revelations Part 2

_**This chapter is not what I planned at all. Once I started the Berry Bash I just couldn't stop! But it is essential to the plot because she does give some answers.**_

* * *

Sam was surprised to see Kirsten's car still in his drive when he arrived home. The lack of lights indicated that she was already in bed. Probably waiting for him. She was mad at him for dropping her like a hot potato all day and it was understandable. They'd been together for nearly six months and despite assurances that he was taking their relationship seriously, he knew that his behavior over the last couple of weeks had been erratic. He'd been distracted, cranky and withdrawn. Knowing that it had come shortly over their discussion about living together where she had been more in favor of the idea than he was, he simply let her assume that was what was bothering him. He knew it wasn't right to keep secrets but what the hell was he supposed to tell her at this point?

Sam knew it was wrong but instead of pulling into the drive he kept going straight on. He wasn't ready to go inside yet. And he definitely did not want to run the risk of Kirsten still being awake and asking questions when he got there. Pulling a left at the end of the street he headed for his gym. Sure he had his own personal gym at home but this one had a pool with 24hr access and right now, 30 minutes of lengths is exactly what he needed.

Using his personal access card he nodded in acknowledgment to the men at the night security desk and headed to his own personal lockup. Towels, flip-flops and other incidentals were complementary but Sam always preferred to use his own and use their complementary cleaning service instead. Grabbing his freshly laundered towel and trunks he quickly changed, ran through a few stretches and slipped into the deserted pool, relishing the feel of the cold water against his skin.

After a couple of lengths he felt his body begin to relax and his thoughts started to form more coherently. There were several things he needed to do over the next couple of days. So far, the only people who knew were Puck, his lawyer and the private investigator. The former would never reveal his secret to anyone and the latter were bound by confidentiality. Kirsten didn't need to know just yet but there was one person who did. Stevie. He was family. This did worry him. Over the years Stevie and Holly had had to deal with two further miscarriages. It had been a tough time for them all. Stevie was an extremely private man and had gone to great lengths to ensure that knowledge of what they were going through had not become public. After the third miscarriage they had stopped trying, choosing to take a year to work on their own relationship which was feeling the strain before looking into alternative options of surrogacy and adoption.

Sam had no idea how Stevie would react. Here he had been trying for years to have a child and all that went with it while his brother had knocked someone up who had been out of the picture. Sam had had everything that his brother had ever wanted and seemingly thrown it away. Even though that wasn't exactly the case, he knew that's how his brother would see it. They got on well and the bond of love between them was stronger than ever, but they both knew that their personalities were such that if they weren't careful, they could allow things to come between them and cause resentment to grow. So far, for the last few years things had been going well for them and Sam didn't want to rock that boat.

With a heavy sigh Sam left the pool and showered, dropping his wet things into his own personal laundry basket before heading home via the most scenic and slow route possible.

* * *

Kirstin was asleep but Sam tossed and turned throughout the entire night, Mercedes' revelation bouncing around through his head. He had hoped that tiring himself out with the swimming session would aid sleep but he was wrong. All he kept seeing was Mercedes' face and her anger. Now he finally understood that it was totally justified. Why hadn't he listened to her before? And the way that she had imitated Rachel Berry's manner and voice... There was no doubt that the two of them had to have met in person in order for her to pull that off. And to remember it so clearly after all these years. It must have hurt her to the core. No wonder she felt he didn't want the child. At the very least he owed it to her to get to the bottom of why it was that Rachel kept the information from him.

Just the thought of that woman caused him so seethe with rage and he quickly replaced her with the image of his little girl in her mother's arms. She was so cute and so pretty. Even her frown was the same as the one Stacy used to do when she was little. He felt terrible for waking the child from her sleep with his thoughtless behavior but he didn't regret for a second the fact that it gave him to opportunity so see her face to face and actually speak to her, however briefly. It was only a few seconds but Sam knew that he was already falling in love with little Cheyenne. He had missed to much up until now and was determined not to miss anymore if he could help it.

When Dionne Carter had first called him to say that he and her daughter needed to talk for the sake of their child he hadn't wanted to listen, but as she rapidly became the third person that day to tell him it was wrong of him to threaten her like that he finally took the words to heart. This was about more than him. This was about more than Mercedes. Somehow they had brought a child into this world and the child was more important than anything. When it comes to children a different set of rules apply. However the parents feel about each other the child is most important. Imposing rules and rights makes nobody happy. And using the heavy hand of the law to get what he wanted may work but would only fuel the hurt and resentment. Now he understood why his lawyer had told him he had to give her a seven day thinking period before taking any action. Fixing things maturely together would always be better that using the law to break her.

When he felt Kirsten awaken Sam pretended to be asleep. He felt bad for doing it but after his rough night he didn't want to have to face any questions. She deserved an apology for his disappearance yesterday and he hadn't even begun to think about what to say to her yet. He kept is breathing slow and even as he heard her moving about the room. She worked in television and early starts were common. She never woke him unless she had to and he knew she would want to pop home before going to work.

After hearing her pull the door shut behind her he sat up and looked at the time. 5.37am. Knowing that attempting to get to sleep was useless he took another long shower and started to prepare to head into the office.

Getting into work early proved to be useful and by eight thirty he had actually achieved a lot of work. It then occurred to him that he hadn't eaten for a _really_ long time. Deciding that it would be wiser not to deal with Rachel on an empty stomach as well as feeling the need to stretch his legs, he grabbed his jacket and headed out for a bagel and a coffee.

"Good morning Mr Evans!"

"Good morning Maddie." He smiled at his junior assistant. She was always bright and early and worked with a smile. He knew that Rachel often treated her like a general dogsbody but despite her youth she was good at her job.

"Would you like me to get you something sir?"

"No thanks. I'm just going to stretch my legs and grab a bagel. Would you like one?"

She seemed taken aback by his question but shook her head, pointing to the small tub of crackers and bottle of water on her desk. "I already have breakfast."

He smiled. "That's not breakfast, its prison food!"

She returned the smile. "True. But I have a wedding dress to fit in so I need to be careful."

"Of course you do. I'll see you shortly." As he walked out the door he sincerely hoped that Rachel had remembered to get Maddie an engagement gift on his behalf as he had told her to weeks before.

By the time he returned with his half eaten breakfast items he could see Rachel removing her jacket and attempting to settle into her seat. "Maddie, please hold all my calls until further notice."

"Yes sir."

Without breaking stride he marched straight towards his office. "Rachel. My office. _NOW!_"

From the corner of his eye he saw Rachel's confused expression at his harsh tone but she immediately leaped up and followed him into his office.

"Please shut the door."

As she turned to do it Sam took in her outfit. As usual it was another headache inducing eyesore. A pleated knee length wool skirt with a knitted waistcoat and over a long sleeved high necked blouse. And all the colors clashed. Considering she was vastly overpaid in her job, she managed to dress as if she'd gone fishing through the Goodwill store with the lights tuned off. Stevie had hired her for Sam as punishment for him sleeping with his previous assistant. Stevie was clever enough to know that he would not find her attractive.

His brother was not wrong.

Sam really didn't like Rachel. But she was efficient. Scarily efficient sometimes and that was a quality which was hugely important in an assistant. He just preferred it when she assisted from a distance rather than face to face.

He indicated the seat on the other side of his desk. "Please sit."

She did so and looked at him expectantly. Even the shine of her bone straight hair and the way her fringe fell into her eyes made him feel sick. He decided to get straight to the point.

"Tell me, Miss Berry. Does the name Mercedes Jones ring mean anything you?"

She narrowed her eyes and appeared to think before shaking her head. "Nope."

"Are you sure? You'll have to think back to around six and a half years ago."

Rachel shrugged. "Is she somebody important?"

"Very. Now I already know that you have an excellent memory, it's practically edetic, but I'll give you a clue, she's black, about five four, had long curly hair and big eyes. She would have called several times asking for me and even came in with a sonogram."

Rachel's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, _her!_"

The dismissive tone of her voice made Sam's blood boil. "Yes _her!_" His fists clenched and it took all his willpower not to smack one of them down onto the desk. If he never saw her again after this encounter it would still be too soon. He kept his voice low slow and deliberate. "Now I guess it's only fair to tell you that for what you did to her, your employment with this company has been terminated effective immediately!"

Her head snapped up in shock and Sam fought the urge to smile as she completely paled. He was going to enjoy this far more than he thought.

"You can't-"

"I can, I did and no you won't win if you try to fight it!"

"But-" Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish and reyes were blinking back tears.

"No buts Rachel. You have overstepped the line with my personal life too many times already and have been warned about it on more than one occasion. Now I'm going to ask you some questions and my satisfaction at the truthfulness of your answers is the only thing between you and three months' worth of severance pay and a decent reference. If I were you I'd make the wise choice."

She swallowed loudly.

"My first question. Where is the sonogram? Because I know damn well it never reached me!"

Rachel cast her head down and mumbled something.

"What was that? I can't hear you? I know you damn well enough to know that you're more than capable of making yourself heard so answer my question properly!" His voice was rising but he didn't care.

"I- I shredded it!"

Sam nearly lost the plot at that response. "You fucking shredded it?"

"I thought it was just a ploy to-"

"Who gave _you _the right to decide what was and wasn't a ploy?" As the words came out of his mouth, a disturbing thought came into Sam's mind. What if there was someone else behind Rachel's actions? What if she had been told what to do? What if this whole thing was far more screwed up than he had ever imagined? Maybe the wrong brother had been informed and Stevie had interfered? But what could possibly have been his motive? He felt sick to the stomach as Rachel refused to answer the question.

He gritted his teeth. "I said… Who. Gave. YOU. The. Right. To. Interfere?"

She wiped her eyes and stared back at him. "I was only doing my job. I know you and I know what you're like with _these women._" She said the phrase with distain as she flicked her hair defiantly. Do you know how much of my time I have to spend keeping thirsty bitches away from your door? There's a lot of women who would go to any lengths to get a piece of you and your playboy reputation. It was only a matter of time before one of them tried to trap you. I could tell she was lying!"

"How? How could you tell she was lying?"

"For a start, you forget that I'm your assistant. I've had to buy many of your personal items including condoms so I know you'd never be that stupid. But then…"

Sam narrowed his eyes at her as he watched her remembering. "…Then, after weeks of blowing up my phone with her stupid calls, she had the audacity to come here in person. Can you believe she actually pretended to be a courier with an envelope which needed to be signed in person by me to your stupid security and they actually let her up here? I only realized something was wrong when she opened her mouth and I recognized her voice. She really thought she could pull the wool over my eyes that day but I'm better than her!"

This time Sam did slam his hand on the desk. "Rachel Berry, did you or did you not sign for an envelope for me and not pass it on?"

"Well I…"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes! But-"

"I said no 'buts'! And Rachel, did you or did you not tell this young woman that _I _had asked her to not to call or come here again?"

"Yes but-"

"Did you or did you not threaten her with the police and or legal action from _me_ if she was to attempt any further contact?"

"I guess so but-"

"Rachel did you open the envelope and see what was inside?"

"It was a sonogram. You know that already."

"Was there anything else in the envelope?"

"No. Just the sonogram."

"Was anything written on it?"

Rachel sighed, finally seeing where he was going with his line of questioning. "On the front there was a date and some random numbers underlined and on the back was a phone number and her name."

"And you just shredded it!"

She avoided his eyes.

"At any point did it occur to you to tell me about this person?"

"I told you. Crazy women call up all the time trying to get at you. If I told you about every single one you'd think I wasn't doing my job of screening calls efficiently."

"But this wasn't just a single crazy caller. This was somebody clearly desperate to get hold of me!"

"I thought she was a stalker."

"So you didn't think to warn me I may have a stalker?"

"I told you! I did it to protect you!"

"So when she came in with actual evidence you still felt that it wasn't something that I needed to be made aware of? You felt that it was okay to lie? You felt that it was okay to tell somebody what my response was without asking me first? You felt it was okay to threaten somebody on my behalf without my knowledge?" He was seething by this point.

"You should have seen the state of her! There's no way you would have gotten somebody pregnant who looked like _that-"_

Sam leaped to his feet and smashed his hand on the table. The personal insult against Mercedes was the final staw. "GET OUT!" He yelled, eyes bulging with rage.

"But Sam-"

"Rachel Berry, you have ten minutes to clear your desk and vacate this building before I call security up here to help speed things up!"

She stayed frozen in the seat, staring up at him wide eyed. In all the years they had worked together he had never shouted at her. She shook her head in disbelief. "No. No I can't believe you would fire me over something like that!"

"Really?" He raised his eyebrow. "Well in that case you're going to have to get yourself a brand new belief system!"

Annoyed that she was still frozen to the seat he made his way round the desk and pulled her seat out from under it. "There, I'm even polite enough to help you leave."

Rachel stood up on wobbly legs and turned to face him. Suddenly her bottom lip started to quiver and she started to cry properly. "But- But I've worked with you for eight years! Surely that counts for something?"

He shook his head. "Nope. For eight years I've had to put up with your bossiness and your selfishness and your blatant disregard for others. I only kept you here because you're damned good at your job. But what you did was completely wrong, uncalled for and put you in breach of a whole shedload of things. I'm sure if you try to fight this my legal team will find out ways to make your future miserable."

She started to head for the door. "I can't believe I'm being fired over _that! _You never saw her Sam, her ass was bigger than a continent!"

Sam had never had thoughts of slowly and painfully murdering a woman until now. Taking a deep breath he refused to let her cheap shot get to him. He cast his eyes up to the clock on his wall. "You now have nine minutes!"

Choking back a sob Rachel reached for the door handle.

"Oh and Rachel?"

She turned back towards him as he started to speak. "Before you even think of kicking up a stink or going to the press with whatever you imagine to have happened, just remember that you are bound by the confidentiality agreement that you signed on the first day. If any word of this comes out in the media I will know that it was from you and there will be hell to pay!"

Gulping loudly, Rachel fled through the door.

Sam sat back in his chair, taking a deep breath before releasing it slowly and loudly. It felt good to be finally rid of Rachel Berry. Yes she was good at her job but she would not be missed by him. He couldn't believe how low she had stooped in keeping Mercedes away from him. No wonder the woman had been so bitter. She probably thought he shared the same feelings but that could not have been further from the truth. He now understood where so much of her anger and resentment towards him had come from and resolved to be far more considerate and less heavy handed in the future. And how dare Rachel judge Mercedes on her appearance!Yes she'd definitely let herself go at the moment but she had definitely rocked those curves before. He hadn't lying when he had told her that night that he was checking out her ass. Because he totally had been. Sure she was nothing like the bombshell that was his current girlfriend but-

_Shit! _In his rage about Rachel he had forgotten about Kirsten. Any other day he would have texted her when he got up but today it had escaped his mind. And to make things worse he was already supposed to be apologizing. Something he had a feeling was going to be a regular occurrence over the next couple of days. Pulling out his phone he sent her a quick text.

**So sorry for yesterday. Forgive me? Booked your fave resto tonight so I can grovel in person. Sam xXx **

He needed to send some flowers too. Maybe Rachel could- No, not Rachel. _Never Rachel ever again! _Sam looked up at the clock then went over to the door. He looked across at Rachel who was still sitting at her desk in a daze, staring at an empty archive box that she'd placed on top of it. "Four minutes." He said to her stiffly, delighting at the fact that she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice.

Turning his head to her confused and nervous assistant he smiled. "Maddie, can I see you in my office for a moment please?"

She shot him a worried look but quickly stood and trotted in through the door as he held it open for her. He waved his hand for her to take the seat which had recently been vacated by Rachel and she did so, nervously perching at the edge of it.

Sitting back down Sam smiled in a way that he hoped was reassuring but it didn't seem to be helping.

"Did Rachel say anything to you when she came out?"

"No. She just pulled out a box, put it on her desk, sat down and keeps shaking her head and muttering something about how you fired her."

"I did fire her."

Maddie bit her lip. "Sir, am I in some sort of trouble?"

"Of course not. I just want to ask you something."

"Okay…"

"How long have you worked here?"

"It'll be eighteen months next month."

"And do you like it here?"

"Actually, yes I do. It's a job with good prospects. Rachel can be a bit much sometimes but I've learned so much since I've been here and I hope my work has been satisfactory."

"It has. And that's something I wanted to talk to you about actually." He leaned forward. "A position has recently become available in this office for a personal assistant to me and my first choice for replacement would be you. You already know the ropes and I like to think that we have a good working relationship. Obviously with the promotion would come a significant increase in salary which I'm sure would also be of help with your upcoming nuptials." Her eyes were wide with shock as he continued to speak. "Obviously I will allow you time to think about it if you deem it necessary, but if you wish, the job is yours effective immediately."

Maddie grinned and let out a small squeal. "Really?"

"Yes Maddie. Really."

"Oh my- YES! Yes sir I'd love that! Thankyou!"

"No. Thank _you_! We both know you're much easier to work with than Miss Berry. Speaking of which," he looked up at the clock "Let's see how she's doing with clearing your new desk for you!"

Sam walked over to his window and looked out. Rachel was now standing, lethargically putting items into the box one by one. Her ten minutes were well and truly over. "Time's up!" He muttered with a smile. Returning to his desk he picked up the phone to the head of security.

"Hello Brian, this is Sam Evans. I'm calling to let you know that Rachel Berry is no longer and employee here and is to be escorted out of the building immediately… That's right. Please can you send two of your female officers to escort her down, I have a feeling she might try and put up a fight and I don't want any of your male staff to feel that they are put in an awkward position if she tries anything funny... Thank you Brian."

Noticing the worried expression on his new assistant's face he was quick to reassure her. "Rachel's had this coming for a long time, but today's dismissal was for an act of gross misconduct that happened way before you started here so there is nothing at all for you to worry about. Now, our first joint task will be to hire a new assistant for you and we can discuss what you're looking for later but for now I already have a list of tasks for you this afternoon."

Maddie nodded and immediately pulled out a pad and pencil. Sam instantly knew that he had made the right decision. "Firstly, I need you to book a table for two at Chez Pierre at 7pm tonight in my name. I need you send flowers to Kirsten at the studios. Get one of those $100 bunches and the card is simply to have the word 'sorry'. Call the agency and ask them to get a temp assistant for you this week and line up some interviews on Thursday for your replacement."

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of shouting from outside. Sam looked out of his door to see Rachel being escorted from her desk by two of the burliest female security guards he had ever seen. He leaned against the doorway to watch. There was no way in the world that he would miss this!

Rachel caught sight of him and screamed, trying to rush towards him but the security staff stopped her. "I wasn't finished!"

"You ran out of time Rachel!" He told her with a smug smile. "I'll have the rest of your things boxed and couriered to your home by this afternoon."

"I can't believe you'd do this to me! I've worked to look after you for years but that fat thirsty bitch gets me fired! I was just putting out the trash!"

_Oh she did not just day that!_

Thankfully the lift doors closed with her safely behind them before more words of hate could fly out of her mouth. At first he would have been sufficiently satisfied to fire her and blackball all her future prospects of employment at any establishment other than the Dairy Queen, but if she was going to make it personal then he would too.

Ushering Maddie out of his office with the extra instruction of completing the packing up of Rachel's desk, he reached into his wallet and pulled out a business card. He didn't know why he pulled out the card when he already had the number saved on his phone but he just liked looking at it. The embossed writing was very simple. 'Matthew Rutherford, Private Investigator'. He had long suspected that Rachel had been having an affair with a married man after seeing her sneak off with one Finn Hudson at one of their society events. But Finn's wife, while she was aware of some of her husband's misdemeanors and tolerated them because she did not share all of his particular kinks, did not suffer fools gladly and anything that posed a threat to their high profile lifestyle. Rachel may have favored long sleeves and high necks, but they didn't always hide the bruises that lay underneath them. If his long held theories about her own fetishes were proved to be true then she really would be left in the gutter after she'd been exposed. And the best part is that it would be someone else doing it.

The phone was answered after two rings. "Hello Matt? This is Sam Evans. I have another job for you…"

* * *

Sam had finally got his brain in gear and was hard at work when he brother stormed in. "What the hell were you thinking firing Rachel Berry?"

Sam looked up at his brother then had to look away. He was overwhelmed by guilt for suspecting his brother may have had some part to play in the deceit towards Mercedes. It may only have been for a moment but the damage was still done in his own mind. Finally he managed to meet his brother's eyes. "She had to go Stevie. She crossed the like too many times and went beyond her job. Plus she lied to someone repeatedly and misrepresented me, using my name to threaten and bully somebody who didn't deserve it."

Stevie frowned. "Really? Rachel?"

"Yep. Rachel. But it's all under control. Maddie is my new assistant and we're hiring a replacement junior later in the week."

"But Sam, this was a really rash thing to do. We can't be exposing the company to a high profile case of unfair dismissal."

"Don't worry. Rachel's going to keep her mouth shut and her head down if she knows what's good for her. She's already done enough damage!"

Stevie folded his arms. "What exactly happened?"

Sam stopped. If he told Stevie what Rachel's dismissal was about he would also be telling him about Mercedes and the child. This was not the time or the place for that to happen. He quickly stood and grabbed his jacket. "Look, I can't talk about it here. Maybe we can catch up a bit later? I have a meeting at ten that I need to be at."

Stevie looked at the clock then backed down. "Don't worry. You can tell me tonight when you come round for dinner."

"Dinner? Oh shit! I forgot!"

Stevie glowered at him. "The you can _un_forget. This is a family dinner. Stacy is coming too. Don't miss it!" His voice softened. "Please. It's important to me."

Sam nodded, sensing there was something important by this sudden need for a family meal but he was too scared to ask what it was. "Sure. I'll be there."

"Good. Holly's looking forward to seeing you too. It's been a while."

"Yeah it has. Is she doing better now?"

"Yes she is." Stevie's face was still serious as he turned to leave. "Be there tonight!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

As Stevie closed the door it suddenly hit him.

_Shit! _He was going to have to cancel Kirsten again…

* * *

_**Sorry we didn't get the promised Samcedes interraction in this chapter but it was already running to 5k! Hopefully this fun filler chapter wasn't too much of a waste of space.**_

_**Next up, why has Stevie called a family dinner? And the convo that didn't make it into this chapter!**_


	6. Baby Steps

_**I've decided to stop making claims about what may and may not happen in the next chapter at the end of the preceding one because even though I know what's going to happen in this fic, once it actually comes out in writing it sometimes gets a little sidetracked. **_

_**So from now on, I promise nothing but a continuation of the plotline in some way.**_

* * *

It wasn't until he was nearly finished at work that Sam remembered that he hadn't informed Mercedes of his conversation with Rachel. Yet another apology he was going to have to make. But hopefully one that would finally start to move things forward. Grabbing the file of information that Matt had supplied him he looked through it until he found her cell phone number. Reaching his own he first saved the number then hit 'call'. After all, they were going to have to keep in touch with each other at some point and she already did have his number.

He listened as it rang several times before finally reaching voicemail. Debating whether to hang up and try again he opted to just leave a message as her voice filled his ear.

"Hi! This is Mercedes, sorry I can't take your call at the moment but if you leave me a message I'll get back to you as soon as I can!"

_Damn! How the hell had he not noticed how sexy her voice was? _

Maybe it was just her telephone voice he mused as he listened out for the bleep. All the communication they'd had so far had alternated between angry hissing and shouting.

At the beep he suddenly found himself lost for words. "Um. Hi Mercedes. It's me. Sam. I never thanked you for letting me see Cheyenne last night… And I- I need to let you know that I spoke with Rachel Berry and she fessed up to what really happened with you. I'm really sorry for the way you were treated. I honestly had no idea what she'd been doing and saying about me but, well, she's been dealt with now. And so I was wondering if we could talk? Properly this time? I promise to hold back and actually listen. I guess I haven't listened to your side and I really want to hear it. We need to start this again from scratch. Call me? Please?"

As he was thinking for his next words the phone beeped for the maximum message length so he decided just to leave it as it was and hung up. The ball was in her court. He'd call her again if he didn't hear anything, but that would be later. For now he didn't want to look like he was pressuring her.

Looking up at the clock he knew he had to leave soon to get to Stevie's. There was no time to change so he waved goodbye to Maddie and headed straight to his car, feeling the rumble in his stomach. He'd skipped lunch to make a long overdue apology call to Kirsten. To say she was pissed off with him would be an understatement. There was going to be no sex from her for a long while at this rate! Pushing her to the back of his mind he speculated about what was ahead at for this dinner. He really hoped it wasn't going to be bad news. Stevie had looked so serious earlier.

Sam decided that he would wait and see how the evening went before he dropped his own bombshell. He had a child now and that child was an Evans. They were family. They deserved to know from him before word got out. He just wasn't sure how he was going to say it. After all, the circumstances weren't exactly ideal!

After being waved past the security of the gated community where Stevie lived, he made a sharp left and watched as the houses got larger and larger. Finaly pulling into the drive of the enormous luxury home he saw Stacey's car already there and smiled. It had been ages since he had seen her. She was currently studying at Yale and the frequency of her driving up to New York from New Haven was becoming less and less as she became absorbed in college life. He'd barely made it to the front door before she had opened it and leaped into his arms.

"Sammy!" She'd called him that since she was small and it still made him smile.

"Hey Stace- Oh my god what's happened to your hair?"

Stacy backed up and struck a pose, hand on hip while shooting him a massive wink. At nineteen Stacy was a very pretty girl. Like Sam, she had spent her youth and early teens being awkwardly all long bony arms and legs before finally growing into her beauty over the last couple of years. Now she was barely two inches shorter than Sam with a cute boyish figure. All her life she'd had her trademark long blond hair but now it was gone, replaced with a short pixie like crop which brought out her big blue eyes. "What do you think?"

"It's, er-" It wasn't that it didn't suit her. It's just that he couldn't see why she'd cut off all that amazing hair!

She shrugged. "Stevie hates it too! He says it makes me look like a lesbian. That makes me like it all the more!" She was unapologetic in her tone.

Sam shook his head. "I don't hate it. I'm just… I'm just not used to it yet. What happened to cute little Stacey who would cry if you cut off more than one inch of her Rapunzel-like locks?"

Stacey grinned. "She grew up!"

"You're nineteen. That's hardly grown up!"

"I'm in college now. I have a boyfriend. I'm going to trav-"

"Wait!" Sam narrowed his eyes. "Back up there! You have a _boyfriend_?"

"Yeah. He's in a rock band! She pulled out her phone and showed him a picture of a pale youth with jet black hair and far too many tattoos who clearly was uncomfortable looking straight into the camera. Or maybe it was because he was blinded by the lank greasy hair that was draped over his face.

Sam felt every protective nerve in his body stand to attention. "Stacey please tell me that this is some sick joke!"

"Nope. His name's Eden and he is _sex on legs_!"

It turned his stomach to even hear his baby sister use the word sex. "Does Stevie know about him?"

"Nope. And you're not to tell him. I will when I'm ready."

Sam sighed and was glad that this wasn't going to be his problem. Stevie was appointed Stacey's guardian after their father's death and he was more like a father figure to her, especially considering the age gap. Stacey had always been a bit of a handful but she was a good girl at heart. This guy, on the other hand, looked like he could end up being a whole heap of trouble.

"Anyway, speaking of relationships, where's your girlfriend?"

"She's…" Sam frowned. He had cancelled their dinner but he hadn't even thought of bringing her here with him. When Stevie had said it was a family dinner he had automatically excluded her. She definitely didn't belong in the family category just yet. In all honestly he didn't know where she fit. Kirsten was more than a bit of fun, that he was sure of, but something was holding him back from fully integrating her into his life. "She's busy!" He lied lamely. "Besides…" He poked Stacey playfully in the ribs, "It hasn't been just the four of us for ages! Anyway, you're never going to be able to talk her into getting you a slot on TV. It's not her call. And you have College to finish first!"

Stacy jerked her head to flick her hair as she habitually did, forgetting that it was no longer there before embarrassedly running her fingers through it instead. "Takes a bit of getting used to!" She said sheepishly.

"So have you seen Stevie and Holly yet?"

"I only got here five minutes before you. The traffic was a killer. Stevie's upstairs. After flipping out about my hair before I'd even made it through the door he then went to wake up Holly."

"Wake up Holly?" Sam frowned.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. He says she's just having a nap and will come down once she's freshened up."

Sam couldn't help but be concerned. Stacy only knew about one of the three miscarriages but that was already enough to make her extremely concerned about the wellbeing of her sister-in-law. She looked like she was going to ask Sam a question when Stevie came blustering in.

"Guys I hope you're hungry! Rosa has made a lasagna in a pan big enough to feed fifty people, or should I say forty people plus Sam!" He nudged his brother and Sam smiled weakly in response. Stacy looked excited, "I totally miss Rosa's cooking. I never understood how I ended up so skinny when I ate her food every day!"

Sam was in no mood to be teased about his eating habits. "Where's Holly?"

Stevie smiled. "I left her in front of the mirror! I'm sure she'll be down in a second." Something about Stevie's smile made Sam relax a little and he decided to change the subject. "So Stacy says you don't like her new hair?" He asked teasingly.

Stevie shook his head at his little sister. "I just don't get it. You spend your whole life hating the fact that you look like a boy then you go and cut off all that lovely girlie hair of yours!"

"Hey, I did donate it to charity so it was in a good cause. I just thought if Emma Watson could pull it off, then so could I! And despite your moaning I think I have!"

"You look gorgeous!" Said Stevie genuinely, pulling her into a one armed hug. "It's just that sometimes I hate to think of you growing up."

"Well you're going to have to coz I really want you to meet my boyfriend-"

Stevie rapidly pushed her back to arm's length. "Wait! What? _Boyfriend?_"

She grinned. "That's what Sam said!"

He turned his glare over to Sam who backed up with arms wide to demonstrate his innocence. "Hey, I literally found out one minute ago. This is all news to me too!"

"Who is he Stacy?"

"He's lead singer in a band called Die Bitches Die!"

"What the-"

She rolled her eyes. "It's ironic Stevie! Sheesh, you take things so seriously! Lighten up for once in your life!"

"It's offensive!"

Sam saw that Stevie was too livid to say anything else and wisely kept his own mouth shut. Stevie did his best to calm himself and simply said "We'll talk about this after dinner Stace. I wanted this to be a nice evening with all of us."

His calmness seemed to unnerve Stacey more that his being angry and Sam put a protective arm around her, hoping to be a fly on the wall when Stevie eventually got to see the photo of Eden. The eldest Evans took a deep breath and smiled, turning towards Sam. "Seeing as tonight is clearly the night for family bombshells, do you have anything to add before I reveal mine?"

Sam thought about it. Yes he did have a bombshell but this really didn't feel like the right moment to be spilling it. On the other hand, there was never going to be a right moment and Stevie was already mad so maybe there wasn't anything to gain from waiting any longer. Better to do it now while Stacy was there to deflect some of the attention…

"Well actually…"

"OH MY GOD HOLLY!"

Sam was nearly deafened by the sound of Stacey's scream. Looking up he saw the source of Stacey's excitement. Standing in the hallway was Holly in a pretty flowery dress, most definitely sporting a baby bump!

Stacey flew over to embrace her sister in law and Stevie flew after them. "Don't crush her Stacey! Let her come and sit down!"

Holly rolled her eyes at her husband but took a seat by him anyway. Sam was lost for words for a moment before rushing over and kissing her on the cheek. "Congratulations! How did this happen? I mean, I know how but when- no- oh you know what I mean!"

Holly smiled up at him. "It's been a closely guarded secret. We wanted you and Stacey to be the first to know officially. Outside of my doctors and Rosa who lives here we didn't want to tell a soul until we passed the first trimester. Then we kept saying we'd give it one more week, then another week and then another and now I'm just past seventeen weeks!"

"But-" Sam frowned. "I only saw you a few weeks ago and you didn't look pregnant. But now you're huge!"

"Yes, I already knew at that point but we didn't want to say anything at the time. But in the last couple of weeks I've turned into a whale! I swear every morning I wake up and I've grown overnight!"

Stacey narrowed her eyes. "You look pretty big for seventeen weeks."

"Babies grow at different rates. Some grow fast." Said Stevie.

"And twins grow especially fast!" She shot back, still eyeing Holly suspiciously.

"What makes you think it's twins Stace?" Asked Sam, first confused by her questioning then annoyed at the fact that she then shushed him.

"Is it?" Asked Stacey.

"Yes. It's twins!" said Stevie proudly.

"Yes!" Stacey fistbumped the air while Sam remained confused. "How did you know?" He asked as his sister shrugged.

"Lucky guess. She's huge for this stage of the pregnancy and there are twins on both sides of the family. Plus it would be really cool!"

Sam looked at his brothers beaming face before pulling him into a hug. "Congratulations mate!" He patted him on the back and pretended not to notice his brother's eyes start to well.

"Thanks Sam."

Stevie took a moment before settling on the couch next to his wife, snaking his arm around her back so that he could cradle her and her belly as he lovingly kissed her cheek. "We'd given up on the idea of having our own after trying for so long. I guess, sometimes when you stop trying so hard, things just happen naturally!"

"This is so great!" Stacey bounced around the room excitedly. "I can't wait to tell all my friends that I'm going to be an aunt!"

Suddenly the room was filled with the sound of Stevie clearing his throat. "Well, actually, we still don't want this to be common knowledge. I know this is exciting but it doesn't hide the fact that this is a high risk pregnancy. The fact that it's twins coupled with Holly being forty two by the time she delivers means that there are extra risks involved. And all this is second to our… history… So what I'm saying is that for this pregnancy, Holly needs to take things easy. There's to be no stress and much pampering." He smiled at his wife and pecked a kiss on her lips. "Obviously we don't want the press to catch wind of this until she is further along so I'm trusting you guys to keep things together."

"Of course!"  
"Sure!"

"Because when this does get out there'll probably be media interest. It may be of the well meaning kind but we still don't need it."

"But I'm so excited! I can't wait to start buying baby clothes! Do you know what sex they are yet? Or is it one of each?"

"Stacey, you have to calm down. There will be no buying of baby clothes yet!" A pained expression passed over his face but he quickly recovered himself. "And you definitely don't want to do anything to cause your friends to start asking questions."

She bowed her head. "Of course, I understand."

"Good!"

There was a knock on the door and Rosa entered with a tray of champagne, sparkling cider and four glasses. "Perfect timing! I think this deserves a toast, don't you?"

"Hell yes!"

As Stevie started to pour he looked up at Rosa. "Go and grab yourself a glass for the toast Rosa. You're as much a part of the family as everyone else in this room!" He smiled at his long standing employee who had practically brought up Stacey as well as being on hand through all their dramas and sorrows, and with her experience of having four children herself, would be on hand to care for Holly during their pregnancy.

As a gesture of goodwill and in acknowledgement of the fact that she would be sleeping over due to having no classes til the next afternoon, Stevie allowed Stacey one glass of champagne rather than Holly's sparkling cider. And after knocking back her own drink they followed Rosa through to the dining room to gorge themselves on lasagna. Stacy wasn't the only one to miss the woman's food. After his minimal food day, Sam was practically salivating.

Sam spent the meal musing over whether or not to speak to Stevie. He didn't want to break the bubble of his brother's own good news and he definitely didn't want to look as if he was stealing the limelight. Leaving the dinner table he checked his phone and saw a text from Mercedes that made him smile. Quickly typing a reply he decided his news could definitely wait until tomorrow. That way he might actually have something to say.

He decided not to stay at Stevie's too late. If he was going to speak with Mercedes then he wanted to make sure that his head was straight before he started blurting out things that he might regret. Besides, Stevie had clearly forgotten about the Rachel Berry incident for now and he didn't want to have to start explaining that without having some kind of resolution with the woman who had started one hell of a chain of events.

* * *

Mercedes came through the front door with a sigh. Her part time admin job in a small firm of architects was ideal to fit around Cheyenne's school but it wasn't exactly mentally challenging. She and her daughter both paused at the door to take off their shoes before the little girl immediately ran up to her bedroom to play. After changing from her work clothes into some comfy sweats she headed into the lounge and saw Artie sitting alone in front of the TV.

She smiled at him. "Hey!"

He grinned back. "Whaddup!"

"Where's mom?"

His smile took on more of a mischevious appearance. "She's upstairs taking a nap. She had a headache."

She scrunched her nose. "Eeew! Too much information!"

Artie widened his eyes in feigned innocence. "What? I didn't say anything!"

Mercedes huffed. Her mom never got headaches. She knew damn well that his statement was an euphemism for her being tired after sex. It was something Mercedes really didn't want to think about, especially as it was only the middle of the afternoon. She really needed to move out!

Heading to the kitchen she grabbed a carton of icecream and a spoon before making her way back and curling up comfortably on the couch next to Artie. "What are we watching?"

He ignored the question, staring at her, the icecream and finally back at her again. "Where's my spoon?"

With a huff Mercedes side-eyed his cane as she dragged herself up, went back into the kitchen and grabbed another spoon. She was gone less than a minute but by the time she returned Artie was using her spoon and the icecream was half gone. "That's your spoon now!" he said with his mouth full, indicating to the one she now had in her hand.

She stood in front of him, blocking his view of the screen and glaring at him trying and failing to think of a smart comeback.

"Just sit yo ass down!"

Mercedes wanted to fight, but she wanted the icecream more so on this occasion she let the statement ride, sitting back down and taking the tub from him.

"So what did mom say about me?"

Artie raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"You know what. We're not talking and I know she would have vented to you!"

He shuffled in his seat so that he was facing her a little more then looked at her seriously. "She said you need to calm yo tits!"

Mercedes didn't know whether to laugh or be offended by his statement, especially as it referred to parts of her body he really _shouldn't_ be referring to. She decided to let it pass. This was Artie. He had never grown up in his speech at this point it wasn't worth trying to change him now.

"That's easy for her to say!"

"No it isn't." His voice took on a more normal tone. "She's seen how hard you've had to fight for these last few years and she doesn't want to see you make a mistake."

"She doesn't know the whole story!"

"It's not rocket science!"

Mercedes' response was to huff and Artie snatched the carton from her hands without another word. He had his own opinions but knew he wasn't yet family enough to express them freely. As he took another spoon of icecream he remained confident that Dionne had it all under control anyway.

Mercedes also decided that she didn't want to go down that road so they sat in companionable silence, watching Big Bang Theory until they heard the sound of Dionne coming down the stairs.

She looked up as her mother approached and hated what she saw. The freshly showered woman still held a post afternoon delight glow and immediately shared a disgustingly knowing look with Artie before making her way into the kitchen with an extra swish of the hips causing Artie to let out a small groan that Mercedes really wished she hadn't heard.

Minutes later she was calling for Mercedes to 'come help her with the potatoes.'

It was a tough call and Mercedes really wasn't in the mood for another confrontation but at the same time, this was her mother's house and she'd been brought up better than to disrespect her in her own home. After heading into the kitchen she binned the icecream carton and silently set to work peeling the potatoes. She counted silently in her head up from one to see how long it would take her mom to start talking. She barely got to fifteen.

"So Chey's topic of conversation was very interesting at breakfast today..." She eyed Mercedes for a reaction but got none so she continued. "She said something about a shouting man at the door lasr night. Apparently he has pretty eyes and mommy made him say sorry for waking her up. Anything you want to add?"

Mercedes continued to peel in silence and Dionne could feel herself getting more and more annoyed. "Look, if you're going to insist on this stupid not speaking to me then i'm going to use your silence as an opportunity to get you to listen to me!" She pulled out a massive cabbage and started shredding the hell out of it. "Firstly, I googled this Sam Evans guy. I don't know how the hell you managed to tangled up with someone like him but there is no way on earth that a man in his position can be excused from not supporting his child when he has so much! Secondly, that man's older brother is the hotness and as we are now related it gives me ogling rights which I intend to execute in person. Thirdly, the two of you cannot keep acting like bickering children. Cheyenne deserves more than that!"

Mercedes couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer. "He called me a liar!"

"Maybe that's because he doesn't know the whole story yet. Lord knows, even you're pretty sketchy with the details yourself!"

"You're supposed to be on my side mom!"

"I am! But you're not helping yourself with the way that you're acting."

Mercedes averted her eyes and lowered her head to hide the tears that were sudddenly appearing."You don't understand!"

"Just try me!"

"I'll never win. I can't fight him!"

"Who says you need to fight?"

Mercedes shook her head as tears started to stream down her face and Dionne softened her tone sensing that something was genuinely worrying her daughter. "What is it? What is it that you're so scared of?"

"He says he'll get me declared an unfit mother."

"That'll never work. Everyone knows you're brilliant with Cheyenne."

"I know. But he used a private investigator to find me! If he digs hard enough he could find out about my history of depression and use that against me. I'd never be able to cope if he did!"

She stiffened. "When exactly did he say this? Was it when he came round last night?"

"No. When he stopped me outside in the afternoon."

Dionne wasn't happy about that particular threat but decided to resume her position as devil's advocate. "Look. You've both admitted to saying rash and thoughtless things when you had your first meeting outside. Is that any chance that could be one of them?"

Mercedes thought about it for a moment. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean he can't use it to ruin me!"

"That's true, but that's why you need to talk. If they were just empty words you'll know pretty soon. And even if they're not, spending just a little time with you should help him see that your past problems are no longer relevant."

"I hope so."

"I know so. For a guy to drop his evening plans, drive up here and apologize for the way that he spoke to you, only to turn round and do this makes no sense at all!"

"But we don't know how his mind works."

"That's true. And you never will if you don't actually _talk _to him!"

"What if he doesn't want to?"

"Then he's a jerk, and you sue him for as much money as you can get. But I really don't think it would ever get to that point."

"Here's hoping!" Mercedes muttered, whacking the knife unnecessarily hard against the board as she chopped the potatoes.

Dionne felt the frustration bubbling in her belly as she observed her daughter's stubborn attitude. Somehow, two of the world's most difficult people had managed to have a child together and this was not going to be easy to resolve. She put her own knife down and turned to face Mercedes, giving her a glare that she knew she dare not respond to. "Look! You are two grown ass people acting like kindergarten kids fighting over a tricycle! I already know exactly how you are, and I don't give a shit _who_ this man is, I will happily drag both of you out by the ears and lock you in a padded room until you actually have a conversation and come to some kind of agreement! And don't for a minute think I wouldn't do that!"

Mercedes didn't. She knew for a fact that her mother _would_ pull some crazy shit like attempting to pull Sam Evans out of his office by his ear as if he were a child!

"And chop those potatoes smaller! I'm going to mash them!"

She stood and watched Mercedes finish chopping the potatoes before reaching into her pocket, pulling out the card that Sam had left and holding it out. "Here… You're a grown ass woman. Go make a call and handle your business with a quickness before I make it _my _business to interfere in the life of my grandbaby! Because believe me, I will not stand back and watch you let your fear rule your daughter's life as well as your own."

Taking the card she knew her mom was right. She just wasn't ready to tell it to her face yet.

She would offer to meet him once, and only once. And if he called her a liar to her face she would be out the door so fast his hair would be left flapping in the breeze.

Stepping out into the lounge Artie waved for her attention. "Your phone was ringing but I didn't want to interrupt."

She walked over to where the phone was lying and saw there was a missed call from a new number. Quickly checking the number on the card she noticed it was the same. He had beaten her to it. There was a voicemail but she didn't feel like listening to it down here. Climbing the stairs she checked in on Cheyenne who was busy coloring intently in her room. Slipping into her own room she lay down on her bed and finally worked up the courage to press play on her message. Sam's voice filled her ear. _How had she not noticed how sexy his voice was?_

Actually, he sounded pretty sincere. Maybe he was telling the truth and he didn't know what miss 'hello you have reached the desk of Rachel Berry' had been up to. She was torn for a moment as to whether to call him back or just send a text before putting the phone on her dresser and grabbing an Advil from her bag. This stress was killing her head.

She had just washed down the pills with some bottled water when Cheyenne appeared in the doorway.

"Mommy? What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a nap."

The little girl twirled her hair around her finger as she looked on thoughtfully. "Can I have a nap with you?"

Mercedes contemplated the idea. The little girl was a fidget monster, but then again, she could really do with some serious cuddle time right now.

"Come here!" She held open her arms and Chey immediately crawled onto the bed and snuggled up to her. "I won't move too much" She promised.

Five minutes later, she contemplated sending the little girl out after she tossed and turned for what felt like the tenth time, but suddenly, within what felt like moments she was fast asleep curled up against her breasts. Cheyenne smelled of crayon. Mercedes smiled at her precious one and kissed her curls as she watched her slow and even breathing. Now more than ever she could see Sam Evans in her features and the constant reminder irked her.

The guy may have been a jerk, but did she really have the right to keep him from his daughter if he really meant her no harm? And if they did get together to try and talk things out, how long would it last before it descended into a slanging match?

She didn't know that she'd fallen asleep until she felt Cheyenne shuffling in her arms.

"Mommy I need to pee" she said in her most 'matter of fact voice'.

Mercedes had been warm and snug in their embrace but reluctantly let the little girl go, not wanting puddles of any kind on her bed. Turning her head she saw where she had left the phone on the dresser and played the message again. He hadn't tried to call her back. Hopefully he was just giving her space rather than scheming evil schemes. After all, his message said that he would hold back and actually listen to her side.

Deciding that she still wasn't ready to actually speak to him she drafted a quick text message.

**If you're willing to listen I'm willing to try. Don't work Tuesdays so do you have time tomorrow?**

It took a while to get a reply but when it came she was satisfied.

**This is important. Will make time. Send a car for you at 4pm? Just coffee. Neutral location. No pressure.**

Sure. She could handle that. No harm could come to her if they were in public. Her mom would know exactly who she was with and there would be people around so there was no possibility of him creating a scene.

After putting Chey to bed and reassuring her mother that they had agreed to discuss this like mature people she sat on her bed staring at the phone before sending one final message.

**Sure. Until tomorrow.**

She put her phone to the side and prayed that she was doing the right thing…


	7. A Unique Experience

Mercedes stirred her thick milkshake with her straw before taking a long slurp. She could live off these. Ignoring her friend's judgmental look she took a bite of her huge juicy burger.

"I don't know how you can eat those things!" Quinn flicked her fork through what was supposed to be a Caesar salad but was in reality a bowl of limp leaves with croutons.

Mercedes grinned at her friend's misfortune. "You're just too nice to send it back. If I'd ordered and was brought a hot mess like that I would be up there complaining with a quickness! I ain't got money to pay for food which isn't even edible! And nothing on the menu in here is worth a damn other than the burgers and the milkshakes"

Quinn and Mercedes had been friends for the last few years even though Quinn was slightly younger than her. When Mercedes had moved in with her mother during the final stages of her pregnancy, Quinn had been living next door with her husband. He was a long distance truck driver who was often away for days and weeks at a time so the two would often spend time together, drinking herbal tea and watching the baby. It was during these times that Mercedes learned just how hard Quinn's life had been. She was brought up by her grandmother who in later years had succumbed to dementia. During that time Quinn had looked after her alone, coming home from school during breaks to make sure that the old woman was fed and clean. Her social life had suffered, her grades had suffered and ultimately she ended up quitting high school to become a full time care giver, eventually continuing her education through night courses. It was through one of these courses that she met her husband who she had married for security and companionship rather than love. After years of having somebody depend on her she just wanted someone that she could lean on herself. But his long absences took their toll and by the time he had told her he wanted to end things she had already regained her independence. Strangely enough she still remained friends with her ex even though he was now drove his truck cross-country and never settled in any place for long. But her losses had taken their toll and bouts of depression had hit. When she was low Mercedes helped her up and when Mercedes was low she returned the favor.

Now that they were both in a good place they found that the bond they had forged was stronger than ever. Quinn had moved from the house into a small apartment and found a job that she enjoyed in the art shop next door to the diner. In the evenings she studied nursing which had recently become her passion. Most days she could be found in the diner on her break, sometimes eating, but more often than not simply studying at one of the side tables while nursing a cup of bad coffee.

Mercedes took he knife and cut off the unbitten side of the burger before putting it on Quinn's plate. The only criticism that she had of her friend was that the girl simply didn't eat enough, something that Mercedes tended to monitor because when she was stressed she had a tendency to eat nothing at all!

"I can't take that!"

"Shut up and eat Quinn!"

The blond shook her head before taking the knife and cutting her half into half, placing one of the quarters back onto Mercedes' plate. "You have to learn to compromise Mercedes. I love these burgers but you know they make me full after only a couple of bites."

"I don't need to hear anyone else talking about compromise right now. You say you have news for me and I want to hear it!"

Quinn pouted. "I want to hear the update on you and babydaddy!"

"I asked first so you start and if there's time I'll fill you in."

"Okay! It's not huge but it is for me…" Quinn attempted to hide her smile by taking a sip of her diet coke.

"So spill already! I don't have all day!"

Quinn rolled her eyes, relishing her friend's impatience. "I think I met someone."

"Really? Where? You never go anywhere but work and college? Please don't tell me it's one of those losers from college."

"Hey! Don't forget I'm one of those losers. There's a lot of good people in those classes who just want to get a second chance at life."

This time Mercedes did the eye roll. "You know what I mean."

"I know. But you can't keep jumping to conclusions about people. Anyway, it's not any of the wierdos in my night school class."

"Your word not mine" Mercedes muttered as she took another bite. "So where did you meet him?"

"In here actually!"

"Here?" Mercedes looked around the diner at its greasy patrons. "Quinny honey, please don't let me find out that your standards are slipping!"

She laughed and shook her head. "He's not one of the regulars. Besides, you know that all the people in the know come here for Al's special burgers."

Mercedes nodded. "Yep. That I do. So what's so great about this guy?"

"I don't know. I just get a nice vibe from him. He's got a kid. I've seen him here a couple of times with a little girl and a couple of times without her."

"Just him and the kid?"

"Pretty much yeah. I think he brought a guy friend once but usually he's alone."

"And you know he's not a pedo because…"

"First of all his name is not Will Schuester, and secondly the child frigging looks like him and calls him daddy! Anyway, I noticed him once because his little one was playing in the ball pit and so was Cheyenne. You know I watch people like a hawk when I'm with her. Anyway, he was back a few days later and said hi. Then the next time he was back with the kid and they both said hi. Then the final time he was alone but came up all shy and said he'd been working up the nerve to speak to me and we chatted for a bit and he asked for my number."

"And you just gave it to him?"

"Well, yeah. He's pretty cute. Scratch that he's totally hot! I didn't think that he would call but he did on Sunday night. We chatted for ages and it was really nice."

"What did you talk about?"

"Oh nothing really. Just life. But it was just really nice you know. He's going to buy me a burger next time he's here. Al will be right over there with a hot skillet if he gives any trouble."

Mercedes pretended to be offended. "Oh so you tell me that you can't manage to eat a whole burger but Mr Hot Guy comes into the picture and all of a sudden you're breaking all your food rules."

"Mercy! It's not like that!"

"Well Quinn, you know the rules, I have to check him out before I give him my stamp of approval and I have to say, hitting on a girl in a diner when you already have a kid in no way counts as classy in my books, but as long as that stupid ass grin on your face is telling me that you like him, then aunty Mercy will come and give him her verdict before handing down her stamp of approval."

"Awwww. You love me!"

Mercedes kissed her teeth. "I don't love you. I just know how difficult it is to find a trusted babysitter round here so excuse me for not wanting some greasy guy from a diner to kill you off before my girl is old enough to be left at home alone!"

Quinn side-eyed her. "With friends like you, who needs enemies!" She popped the last of her piece of burger in her mouth. "Anyway, speaking of little ones, what's the skinny on you and your baby daddy?"

"Stress!" Mercedes sighed.

"Stress?"

"Momma's interfering."

"Oh shit Mercedes! What's she gone and done now?"

"Remember I said she took the card with his number? She only went and called him and made him come round and apologize for threatening me!"

Quinn's eyes were wide but then she thought about it for a moment. "Well I guess that's only fair!"

"Don't take her side! Anyway, she says we need to talk. I wasn't inclined to but now I'm starting to believe that maybe he didn't know about me after all so maybe I might give him one chance to say his piece before I kick his ass."

"You really think so?"

"I told him what his bitch of an assistant said to me and he turned as white as a sheet. I think there really is a chance he didn't know about it and yesterday he left me a voicemail saying he spoke with her and got the truth so it will be interesting to hear his side."

"But what if he wants to take Chey away like he said."

"I don't know. When he apologized he said it was something that was said in the heat of the moment and he would never do actually do that. In his message he says he wants to start from scratch. If I don't at least attempt to meet with him once I'm going to look like a total bitch."

"But do you trust him?"

"Not really. But I don't really have a choice. At the moment I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. At least if I meet him later and it all ends up totally screwed, nobody can say that I didn't try."

"Hang on, you're meeting him _later_?"

"Yep." Mercedes looked at her watch." In just under three hours."

"Oh shit! That means not only is my break nearly over, but we are going to have to have a serious conversation tonight."

"Join the queue after my mom. I feel like I should wear a wire and record the whole thing with the way she's bound to cross examine me when I get back!"

"Now that's something I'd love to see happen!"

"Yeah, you wait til it's your turn for one of mamma's interrogations. The FBI should hire her. She'd have Mitt Romney confessing to being a racist, mysogonist homophobe within minutes!"

Quinn choked with laughter. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Yeah. But nobody messes with me and my baby."

Quinn pushed back her seat and stood up, grabbing her bag. "Well, I'd better get back to work." She eyed Mercedes' outfit. "What are you going to wear to meet babydaddy? And _please _don't say you're going as you are!"

"I'm not trying to get together with the man!"

"I know! But take some pride! You're making an impression and you want to be taken seriously!"

"It's not a job interview Quinn!"

"Yeah I know, but you're out in the real world now. It's not the same as slouching round the house and popping down to Walmart."

"Not all of us are stick insects like you!"

Her friend refused to even entertain the statement, instead choosing to envelop her friend into a warm hug. "At least wear some color."

Mercedes looked down at herself and didn't see anything wrong with the comfortable clothes she was already wearing.

She'd think about it, but was making no promises.

* * *

"Um, excuse me? Where are we going?" They had been in the car for over thirty minutes heading towards central New York and Mercedes was starting to feel anxious. The driver had been receiving several phoned instructions but from her seat in the back she couldn't quite hear them clearly.

"Mr Evans has been held up at his meeting and requested you meet closer to his office." Said the driver who possibly might have introduced himself as Carl.

_That's great! I'm already at his beck and call!_

Just before they hit a massive traffic jam they pulled down a side road and stopped outside a small café. The driver opened the door for her and showed her inside. "You can order whatever you like. Mr Evans will be here in five minutes and I will return for you when you're done."

Mercedes looked around as soon as she went through the door. The place was lovely. The décor was warm and homely and she felt as though she were in somebody's living room. The seats were soft and random with lots of corners for privacy. For a late afternoon it wasn't particularly busy, just a hippy looking student sitting in a corner typing frantically away into a laptop, listening to music on her earphones while an older couple sat near the window, lovingly feeding each other pieces of the most delicious looking sandwiches from the plates before them. To one side was a small stage and she wondered if the place made its money from performances later in the day. It looked exactly like the kind of place that would hold an open mike night.

She walked over to the counter which was being manned by a young black man with the brightest smile who may or may not have been wearing mascara and lip gloss. He beamed at her. "Hi! I'm Wade. What would you like today?"

What she would have liked was a stiff drink to steady her nerves but she opted for a hot chocolate as a close second.

"Marshmallows?"

"Hmmm…" She seriously contemplated the idea.

Wade sensed her hesitation. "You know you want to. Besides, you're looking so serious and I'm sure that one sip of my hot chocolate with marshmallow float will 'turn that frown upside down'!"

It was impossible not to find his cheery demeanor infectious despite her nerves and she found herself smiling and agreeing to the drink.

"I promise you'll love it!" He said with a smile. "Would you like something to eat with that?"

She started to shake her head until he waved his hand over the glass cabinet full of decadent delights. "You have to have something. It would be a crime not to because I baked these fresh this morning!"

His seductive voice was not helping. She eyed the assortment of cakes, cookies and brownies with desire. She shouldn't… but she wanted… And Wade's expression was so expectant that there was no way that she could possibly leave without trying one of his beautifully decorated creations…

"Okay… I'll try… one of those!" She pointed to one of the simple sponges with buttercream and jam in the middle.

"Miniature Victoria sponge. Excellent choice. I learned to make these on a cookery course while I was on holiday in England . The key is in the simplicity and accuracy of the ingredients and thorough beating during the process, resulting in a sponge that is lighter than air!" He grabbed a large mug and saucer before turning back to her. "Pick a seat and I'll bring them over to you my love."

Turning around her nerves returned. She scanned the shop for a convenient spot before selecting two soft seats opposite each other. They were out of view of the front window but still in Wade's clear line of sight just in case anything did kick off.

She had barely settled herself down and checked the time on her phone before Wade sauntered over. "One Victoria sponge and one Unique hot chocolate for the beautiful lady. I hope you savor them with as much love as I put into making them." He carefully laid the items on the small table in front of her. The chocolate looked rich and dark and the cake and plate had been hand finished with a dusting of icing sugar and a strawberry.

"I definitely will. Thank you Wade."

"It's my pleasure." He smiled as he returned back to the counter and Mercedes did a double take when she realized that his outfit of a regular pair of jeans and tee-shirt was finished off with a pair of killer purple wedge heels. And the worst part was that not only were they one of the most fantastic pairs of shoes she had ever seen, he also walked better in them than she ever could!

With a sigh she began to stir her chocolate until her ears caught a familiar voice and her spine stiffened. Sam was there, chatting with Wade and asking for a recommendation of what sweet to select. She used the moment as an opportunity to really look at him. He was definitely worth looking at. His suit was tailored to perfection and as he stood he removed the jacket and loosened the tie to reveal a firm body underneath. Then he rolled his sleeves slightly up his toned forearms and-

Damn he looked good!

Even his hair had just the right amount of tussle to make you want to run your fingers through it. It was no wonder Cheyenne looked so beautiful. She had all the best parts of him! And here she was, not looking her best. She regretted not taking Quinn's words fully to heart as she nervously pulled at her bulky purple cardigan which she had assumed would be enough of a compromise and looked guiltily at the sweet items in front of her. She knew she really had to give up her bad eating habits, but today was going to be stressful enough and she needed what she needed just to get through what was about to happen right now.

After sharing a quick laugh with Wade, Sam quickly made his way over. Instead of immediately sitting as she expected he stood by her and offered his hand. He was smiling and it made a huge difference to his appearance. "I'm sorry I never did introduce myself properly to you. So let's do this properly!" He took her hand in a firm clasp. "Hi… I'm Sam... Sam-I-Am. And I do not like green eggs and ham!"

Despite herself she had to smile at the introduction. "Hello Sam-I-Am. I'm Mercedes Jones, but you know that already. Green Eggs And Ham is one of Chey's favourite books."

Sam smiled and took a seat. "Then she already has excellent taste."

Mercedes smiled nervously and stirred her chocolate. "Firstly I need to apologize for dragging you all the way out here. I had hoped to meet you somewhere closer to your side but my meeting overran and I couldn't leave. But you're in safe hands with Wade and there's no way that you could fail to like this place. Wade is awesome."

"Yes he is. And I love it here. It was a good choice."

Sam cast his eyes around the familiar surroundings. "This place is a little oasis of magic."

"Definitely."

"Wade has worked hard to get his venture up and running but Unique's is a little goldmine and a genuine labor of love."

"And it was worth every single sleepless night!" Wade appeared next to them and set Sam's items in front of him. "One flat white coffee and one strawberry milkshake muffin."

"Thanks Wade!" Sam smiled up at him before turning his gaze back to Mercedes. "Because _someone_ already got the last Victoria sponge."

Again she found it hard to fight a smile. "What can I say? She had to get the great taste from somewhere!"

"Yeah, I guess so."

They lapsed into a slightly uncomfortable silence, wondering how to break into the reason for their meeting even though they had both already made reference to her.

Mercedes cradled her mug in her hands, desperate to think of something to say. "So what exactly makes that a 'strawberry milkshake' muffin?"

"Well, let's see…" Sam lifted the muffin and stared at it intensely. "If I can remember what Wade said… It's a marbled vanilla and strawberry muffin with pieces of freeze dried strawberry, white chocolate chips and a scatter of edible pink glitter. Apparently there is also a cupcake version which is topped with vanilla buttercream." He pushed the confection towards her. "Try a bit?"

Not wanting to offend she broke off a small piece before pushing the cake back to him. It was delicious. Not nearly as sickly as she had expected and, well, it was simply delicious! "It's nice!" She said simply and the silence returned.

Sam opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly lost for words and took a gulp of his coffee. Mercedes went to do the same with her chocolate before realizing she had already finished it.

"Would you like another one?"

"Er, no. Thankyou."

"Okay…" Again they descended into a painful silence before Sam finally broke it. "I confronted Rachel Berry and she admitted to everything. I'm so sorry for what she did and I promise that up until I spoke with her I genuinely had no idea about you or the baby."

Mercedes huffed skeptically before remembering that her mother had told her to watch her attitude while speaking with Sam. She knew she had a habit of antagonizing people when she was annoyed and it was not in her interests to be rubbing him up the wrong way. She looked him squarely in the eyes. _She'd promised that she would give him a chance._ "So what made you believe me in the end?"

"Well, for a start, I was told by my lawyer, my friend _and_ your mother not to judge without getting the full story. I have a tendency to be impulsive and rash when I feel strongly about things. I let my emotions cloud my judgment and prevent me from acting rationally. Plus, when you did that impression of Rachel as you shut the door on me –and might I add it was a pretty awesome impression- I knew that there was more to this than I had been told and wanted to get to the bottom of it."

"So what happened to the sonogram?"

"She shredded it."

"That BITCH!" Mercedes' eyes were wide with anger.

"I know, I know. I sent her packing. She claimed that she thought you were a stalker and she was only doing it to protect me but her actions revealed that she was simply being judgmental and maliciously interfering. She misrepresented me and I swear I never _ever _would have sent you away if I had known the truth. I may have been shocked at first, but I'm not a complete bastard. My behavior the last couple of days may make that hard to believe but I swear it was only because I was misdirecting my frustration. If I had known at the time I would have helped you out and we could have come to some sort of agreement. I'm still hoping that we can."

Mercedes listened silently, doing her best not to judge him or stare distractedly at his solid arms which he had folded and rested across his solid chest. She would put money on the fact that he worked out regularly.

"So you're not going to take her away from me?" She did her best to keep her voice as calm as possible.

He shook his head. "No. This isn't what this is about. I live in a bachelor pad. What on earth am I going to do with a child there? Besides, I don't know the first thing about kids. I was worked up when I said what I said and I didn't think through the consequences of my words. I'm used to having to be calm and measured in a business environment. This whole situation is out of my zone and I freaked out! All I'm asking for is a second chance to make a first impression and hopefully be allowed the opportunity to get to know the little girl who is my daughter."

She stayed silent, absorbing his words and wanting to believe them. Running her finger along the rim of her mug she finally spoke without meeting his eyes. "But how can I be sure that you're not just saying that to lull me into a false sense of security, only to find a couple of months down the line that you've decided it's not right for your child to be brought up by a flakey single mother and have her taken away from me to be looked after by your relatives!"

Sam leaned forward and forced her to look into his eyes. _Wow! Were his eyes always this green? _"I wouldn't do that. I know what it's like to lose my parents while I was growing up and I would never intentionally inflict that on anybody." She was surprised to see a flicker of pain cross his face as he clearly remembered feelings that he'd had. "My family is close. It's just me and my siblings. We have no parents, no grandparents and even our cousins are distant ones. We're a unit and we stay close and look after each other. Cheyenne is a part of that and by extension so are you. However we may feel about each other, surely she has the right to know who she is, where she's from and to have family around her that love her?"

"She already does."

"But there are others who are waiting to be part of that. Are you really going to turn down the opportunity for her to have relatives that love her? And what about me? When she asks about her dad what do you say? Does she know about me? Were you ever going to tell her about me?"

"Sure. When she's old enough to deal with it!"

"But you can do it now! You can save yourself the questions in the future. I haven't come here today to disrupt her life and trample all over it. I only ask the chance to be a part of it. Do you really think it's fair or right to deny me that?"

_Of course it wasn't! _"It's just that…"

"It's just what Mercedes?" He was starting to sound fed up but she could tell he was working hard to keep it from his voice.

"I don't know…" She knew she didn't have a leg to stand on, but the idea of letting a strange man into her daughter's life scared the hell out of her. "How can I trust you?"

"How can I trust _you?_" He sighed and shuffled in the seat._ "_Mercedes, we're both having to take a leap of faith here. We both started this all wrong but it doesn't mean we can't fix it and make something good come out of it. You have every right to be wary of me but I promise, I will happily spend the rest of my life apologizing and proving to you that I'm not that jerk you met outside your house. I'm a man who wants to step up to his responsibilities. It may be six years too late, but all that means is that I have a hell of a lot to make up for. You have no reason to be scared of me. I promise."

She narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think I'm scared of you?"

"Even now, you're looking at me as if I'm a threat. I'm not a threat to you or our child and I know our first meeting did a lot of damage but I swear I'll do my best to make it up to you and give you reason to trust me. We're both adults. I'm sure we can come to a good solution to this."

She looked at him reluctantly. "And if I agree…"

"Look, I said today was all about no pressure and I mean that. I just want us to talk, as two grownups and establish a definite starting point from which we can move forward."

Mercedes sighed in resignation. "Okay, I think we can do that."

Sam's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. "That's great! I'm sure you have lots of questions coz I know I do. How about we get Wade to bring us over a couple more drinks and just have a chat for a bit?"

"Okay."

Wade topped up their drinks while they played their own version of twenty questions. Sam had wanted Mercedes to go first but she insisted it be him. "Okay, Cheyenne is an awesome name. What made you choose it?"

"I did a semester on American Indian history while I was at college and loved some of the names. At the time I was due to deliver all the mothers were giving their kids really cheesy names after pop stars and movie characters. I wanted my girl to have something that would make her think and maybe do research later in life so that she would understand others in our society and how all our differences make us the same." She chuckled. "I know I just explained that really badly but it made sense to me at the time."

"No. I think I do get it. You ask me something now."

"You said that you had seen Cheyenne. When was it and how long have you known about her?"

"It was two weeks ago. I was with a friend when I saw her playing. He drew my attention first, saying she looked just like my little sister did at her age and he was right. The resemblance is uncanny. Not only the features but also the mannerisms. Then I caught sight of you but before I could call after you you'd run for a bus and got away. I didn't know your name so I couldn't shout but I recognized you instantly, realized who she would have been and made it my life mission to find you." He watched as Mercedes absorbed his words. "So Cheyenne is six. She must have had a birthday in the last couple of weeks right?"

"Actually it was the beginning of last month. She was nearly four weeks early because I had preeclampsia. She was tiny when she was born but she was a fighter then and is still a fighter now. She's still a bit small for her age but all the women in my family are short so that's pretty normal. She still wore an age five dress to her party."

Sam bowed his head sadly. "I'm sorry I've missed all her birthdays."

"Do your family know about her?"

"No. I wanted to tell my brother last night but he had news of his own which made the timing inappropriate." Sam looked at his watch. "I'm actually going to swing by later and tell him tonight. In some ways he's more like my father than my brother even though there's only seven years between us. Admitting that I only just discovered that I got a girl pregnant and have a daughter running around the outskirts of New York is going to be a shock to the system, but he loves kids and if I don't do right by you, he'll be the first one to rip me a new one. And as for my sister, she'll go nuts in a really good way."

"And they won't care that I'm black?"

Sam almost looked offended at the suggestion. "My brother may look like Captain America, but up until he met his wife, almost every girl he dated was Japanese or Korean. His anime collection was bigger than mine and he obsessed over these endless Korean dramas. I teased him for years for actually marrying a blond haired white girl. My sister has no taste in men so she doesn't even count and me… well, historically I've probably dated a woman from almost every country around the world. I don't really have a type. I just like _women_."

Mercedes was happy with that answer for now but decided to reserve judgment for the time being. "So how many people know about us?"

"Just my friend Puck who was with me the day that I saw Cheyenne and my lawyer. I couldn't really say anything until I found you and spoke with you. Anyway, that was two questions so it's my turn now. What is Cheyenne like?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know anything about her. Tell me something."

"Well, she's very bright and very intuitive. She's strong willed like her mom-"

"-And her dad."

"Hmmm. Yes. And her dad. She likes to draw-"

"Hey she gets that from me too!" Sam's eyes lit up.

"And at the moment she's obsessed with all things to do with princesses. She's quite a girly girl."

"My little sister Stacey was a girly girl. I just wished I got to be around when she was small."

"Why weren't you?"

"I was in a private boarding school. I just wanted to be normal like all the other kids but that wasn't to be."

They continued their conversation, learning small things about each other but mostly about Cheyenne until Mercedes' phone buzzed and she quickly looked at it. "I'm sorry Sam but I really should go otherwise I'll miss Chey's bedtime."

He looked crestfallen but understood. "Sure." He typed a quick message into his own phone. "Carl will be here in five minutes to take you home."

"Thank you Sam."

"And thanks for coming. I have to admit I was really nervous about this meeting but I'm really glad it went well."

"So am I. If it hadn't I think my mom would have dragged me to your office to force us to talk."

"I like your mom! She's… how can I put this gently… _a force to be reckoned with!_"

"Definitely. But she's the perfect antidote to my stubbornness. I just don't like to admit to it."

He nodded but suddenly seemed slightly distracted. "Before we go I just want to clarify one thing. You know when we met on Sunday I told you we had seven days to sort this before my lawyers get involved?"

Mercedes instantly stiffened at the mention of the words lawyers, all the progress that they had just made was instantly lost.

Sam caught her hard expression and shook his head. "This is for our own good. If you let me finish, I was going to suggest that we start our seven days again, counting from tomorrow. We can use the time to go away and think about different ideas on how we can work this out between just the two of us. I told you I'm not chasing for custody, just, you know, to see Cheyenne a little bit, maybe once a week or so for a couple of hours. I still have my work and a business to help run. Unfortunately I've already set things in motion with my lawyer and she wants to meet with us, but maybe if we can both go away and come up with our own proposals on how this could work so that when we meet her we can come to a straightforward agreement and sign it off with no hard feelings."

"I don't know Sam." Mercedes could feel her heart pounding at the mention of the lawyer.

"Don't stress Mercedes. All I'm saying is go home, spend a week thinking about how we can work this and then we can meet next Wednesday and come up with a plan that we both agree on. Right now we're strangers but we have to get to know each other and get on for the sake of our daughter."

"And what if we can't agree?"

"I'm not an unreasonable person and I'm sure you're not either. If we both genuinely want to work this out then we will."

Mercedes looked into his eyes and saw that he was genuine. Those green eyes weren't just beautiful, they were sincere. For some reason this crazy rich guy really did want to get to know his daughter. And she knew it wouldn't be right for her to stand in the way.

"Look, here's something as a gesture of goodwill." He pulled out his wallet and started to rummage through it. Yet again she could feel herself tense. If he was going to throw some cash at her as if that was all she was really wanting then he had another thing coming! She watched as he pulled something out, put it on the table and slid it towards her. Leaning forward to take it she realized it was a photograph. Picking it up she looked at the four people. She instantly recognized three as Sam, his brother and his sister-in-law.

He pointed to the fourth. "That's my little sister Stacey. This is my family. I want you to hold on to this picture for the week and just think about the people in it. They're not just my family, they're Cheyenne's family and by extension yours too. These are all people that will welcome you if you just give us the chance. It's a gesture of goodwill Mercedes. This picture is precious to me. I carry it everywhere. I know that I'm asking for something precious from you but I want you to know that I'm serious and that I really do care. And you can get something else precious in return."

Mercedes was touched. He didn't have to do this. He had already told her about his family. He didn't need to _introduce_ them as it were. This picture meant something to him and it was clearly a reminder that this was about more than just him. Somehow she needed to return the gesture. Pulling out her own purse she passed him a small picture. It was of Cheyenne dressed as Princess Jasmine smiling up at the camera with her huge eyes and a smudge of chocolate cake around her mouth. She slid it across the table to Sam and watched as his face lit up. "That's Chey at her birthday party last month."

It was a big trust for her to give somebody a picture of her baby and she hoped Sam appreciated it. The fact that he fell silent and looked emotional was enough to let her know that it was the right thing to do. After all, he had already seen her twice in the flesh at this point anyway.

"Thank you." His words were simple but the full meaning came across. Maybe they would be able to get along after all.

The sound of the door broke them from their silence and they turned to see Carl at the entrance. "I guess your ride is here" Sam said sadly. He stood and offered a hand to help Mercedes up from the soft seat before they headed towards the door. As they approached it Sam lowered his voice. "One last question. Why did you run away that night? You know, after we…"

He ran his hand through his hair and under any other circumstance it would have amuzed Mercedes that he was so embarrassed. But this time she wasn't. She didn't really want to be dealing with that question right now. "I had to go. I was so embarrassed. I'd never done anything like that with a stranger before and it hit me what I had just done. Even now I'm ashamed of how I behaved that night. But I don't regret Cheyenne for one second."

"I'm glad" Said Sam seriously.

He opened the car door for her while Carl slid into the driver's seat. "Thanks for meeting me today. I really hope that we can come up with something we can agree on for all our sakes."

"So do I."

"I'm sorry we didn't have much time. There's so many more questions I could ask you."

"Same here. Write them down and bring them on Wednesday."

He smiled. "I will. I'll text you the time and location when it's all set up, but for now, have a good evening Mercedes."

"You too Sam."

He closed the car door for her and waved as they pulled away.

* * *

_**Phew! First Samcedes conversation done! I hope that you're not too disappointed that it went well. They are both resolved to actually try for the child's sake. I'm not overly impressesed with this chapter but it's getting late and I wanted to post before going to bed.**_

_**Right now all I can think of is strawberry milkshake muffins. I may just have to go away and create a recipie to go with the description...**_

_**I know I said no more promises for the next chapter (notice there was no cliffie today) but Sam will keep his promise to tell Stevie and depending on how I feel we may even get the results of the private investigation into Rachel Berry...**_


	8. Facing The Music

Sam sat silently in his car for what felt like the longest time just staring at the photograph of his little girl. She was gorgeous. He could see both of them in her. Cheyenne had most of his structural features but the eyes were all her mom's. When he had first glanced at the girl in the diner he had thought the eyes reminded him of Stacey. But he had forgotten about her mom's eyes. He remembered how large and expressive they were the night that they met and today he was reminded of how beautiful they really were when she smiled. On the last two occasions when they had met there was no smiling, but today, whenever she had spoken about her little girl, her eyes had become radiant.

The meeting at Unique's had left him a complete mass of emotions. The most overwhelming of those was relief that it had gone so well. He had been distracted all day as he yet again ran various meeting scenarios in his head. Their first two meetings had been pretty spectacularly bad and he couldn't afford to let this one go the same way. He had been prepared to beg and grovel as much as was necessary just to get an in with his little girl.

_His little girl! _Every time he said those three words in his head his face would break out into a smile. Two weeks ago the concept of fatherhood was simply that, a concept. A nice idea but something that was still a little farther down the line. And now that he was faced with the reality of it he was excited. Of course he hadn't been at the beginning. He'd been angry at first. Shocked and angry. It was actually pretty lucky that it had taken him a while to find Mercedes. In the first few days he really had not been a nice person but after having a little time to think about it he had started to calm down. But it was only after seeing Cheyenne close up in the flesh the hearing exactly what Rachel had done that the fog had really started to clear.

No. That wasn't true.

It was seeing her, all cute and sleepy and _pissed off with him_ which had made him really stop and think. Cheyenne was a little person with thoughts and feelings. Worse than having a child he didn't know was having a child out there who hated him!

Tracing the outline of the little girl's smile one last time, he tucked it into his wallet in the same place that his family photo had been and headed over to Stevie's.

It didn't take long for him to reach his brother's home and Rosa greeted him with her usual effusive hug when she opened the door. "Mister Samuel, can I get you something to eat?"

She was always happy to feed him up and he was always happy to let her. "Maybe later Rosa. Is Stevie home?" Sam hadn't seen his car but he wanted to check anyway.

"Not yet sir but I'm sure he will be shortly. Miss Holly is just watching television."

"Thankyou. I'll go find her."

His sister in law was stretched out on the couch, supported by a multitude of cushions while watching a dramatic looking Spanish soap on their widescreen.

"Hey Sam!" She lit up at the sight of him.

"Hey yourself!"

Holly moved to get up to greet him but he got her to stay where she was, coming over himself to kiss her lightly on the cheek. "How are we all doing?" He eyed her belly as he asked the question.

"We're all bored and grouchy!" She sounded fed up.

Sam pulled a face. "Aaaw… Well uncle Sam is here to entertain you!"

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"You and me are going to take a trip!"

He sat down on the floor next to where she was sitting.

"Where are we going?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment before beaming and shifted butt to put his back towards her. He took her hand and placed it on his right shoulder. "To infinity, _AND BEYOND_!"

She chucked as bent his head forward, extending his arm and pushing out his fist in a Superman flying pose. "Really, Sam? _Really_?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Where's your imagination Holly?"

"I left it upstairs" she deadpanned. "Besides, I'm not sure I should be flying in my condition!"

Sam turned back towards her giving her the side-eye and his best Rhett Butler. "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!"

Removing her hand from his shoulder she used it to smack his head lightly. Despite herself she erupted into a full giggle which she failed to hide behind her hand. "Why are you so crazy?"

He shrugged unapologetically. "Because I am? Have you not met the Evans family before?"

"Yes I have. And I have made it my mission to bring some sanity into this family!"

"Well your mission is destined to failure._You will be assimilated. We are Borg!"_

Again she laughed out loud. "You're just a big kid Sam!"

"I know. And I'm proud of it!" He changed his voice to a more dramatic tone. "You will never be able to change us!"

"That's where you're wrong." She changed her voice into a loud whisper, looking around the room as if it were bugged. "I'm a woman on a mission. A sleeper cell who has infiltrated the family and is waiting for the right moment to strike." She stroked her expanding belly. "I'm currently working on putting a crack team together to help me achieve my own evil plans!"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "You will not succeed. We will never allow you to win!"

"That's what you think!"

"That's what I _know!_ Besides, you're forgetting one important thing."

"What's that?"

"Even if you do succeed in your attempt to harm us… we _will_ be avenged!"

Holly couldn't hold it together any longer and descended into laughter. "Sam, you're so stupid sometimes!"

"Yeah. But you love it!"

"I know. You and Stevie have this whole thing where you pretend to the outside world that you're all serious and sensible but I know the truth! And _you_…" She prodded Sam hard on his shoulder "You are even worse than your brother!"

"What can I say? He taught me everything I know then I took it upon myself to improve it!"

"You would be so good with kids."

"That's because I'm one myself!"

"I know! But seriously. I like seeing this side of you and I'm sure you're going to be a great uncle. When the next generation of Evans' arrive, they'll be superheroes in the making. With all his money, looks and charm, Stevie can raise the next Tony Stark!"

"Hmmm. I like the way your mind works!"

Holly smiled. "I still can't believe this is happening Sam. First me and Stevie, if I go to term-"

"_When _you go to term!" He corrected.

"_When_ I go to term..." She poked him gently. "Then maybe _you'll_ finally settle down and give us some cousins for these little terrors to fight with."

"Actually… Speaking of the next generation of Evans'…" Sam bit his lip as he suddenly thought about it. He didn't really mind telling Holly. She was as much his sister as Stacey was. As far as he was concerned, the 'in-law' part was just a formality. She would know by the end of the evening anyway. She and Stevie didn't have secrets.

It's just that surely the _right_ thing to do would be to tell Stevie first…

Luckily, the man himself chose that precise moment to arrive. He grinned at the two of them as he crossed the room. "Hey! Now this is a surprise! To what do we owe the honor of your presence two nights in a row Sam?"

"I need to talk to you, but I had to leave early and besides, I wanted to do it outside of work."

"Fair enough, but it has to wait until I've said hello to my wife first!"

Sam reluctantly moved aside so that Stevie could kneel beside his wife and kiss her tenderly.

"Hey babe." Sam watched as Holly returned the kiss then felt embarrassed with more than a little twinge of jealousy. Why couldn't he have a relationship like that? Sure he had Kirsten but what they had was not as effortless as the relationship in front of him.

"Hey yourself!" Holly finally ended the kiss and placed her hand over Stevie's.

"How have the little monsters been behaving?"

"They've been busy using all my energy to grow and making me grouchy!"

"Aaaaw! Well daddy's here to sort them out for you and give mommy a foot rub!"

She chuckled as he gently rubbed her belly and kissed him again. "As if one foot rub is enough compensation for what my body is going through at the moment!"

Stevie raised an eyebrow. "Regrets?"

She grinned. "Not for a second!"

Sam cleared his throat and the couple dragged their eyes away from each other, remembering that he was in the room. "I think your brother wants to speak with you."

Stevie turned to his brother and glared. "Cockblocker!" He muttered as he slowly stood and Sam smirked at him in reply. "Let's go into my office" he finally sighed as he rubbed his right knee after straightening it. An old squash injury that gave him the occasional niggle. He led the way and as they exited, Sam used two fingers to point to his eyes then to Holly in the universal 'I'm watching you' gesture. Holly just smirked and poked her tongue at him in return.

Stevie pulled the door closed to his office and Sam took a seat. He loved this room with its huge oak table and plush leather seats. It was reminiscent of their father's office when they were growing up, except the old man's also held the faint smell of cigars which was not quite so great a memory.

"Actually, I'm glad you're here" Stevie started, "I forgot to talk to you last night about the Europe launches."

"The Europe- oh _yeah! _I forgot about those too!" They were launching three of their of their luxury experience hotels in Europe. London , Paris and Rome to be precise. It was supposed to be Stevie's dream trip. But now… "Holly's going to be pretty far along by then!" He mused.

"Exactly. I was hoping you'd be able to step into my shoes. There's no way she's going to be able to travel at that time and I wouldn't want her to anyway. She needs to be relaxing as much as possible for the next eighteen weeks."

It suddenly dawned on Sam what his brother was asking. "Of course. I understand. And of course I'll go for you. I was going to tag along for a bit anyway. Kirsten's been nagging at me to go away for a while and that way I could combine a little bit of business with pleasure!"

Stevie rolled his eyes. "Yep. You would say that! Although I was planning an extension in Paris and a detour to Venice . Holly always wanted to be serenaded on one of those gondolas. The one at the Venetian in Vegas didn't quite hit the spot for her!"

"Well you might just have to check next time if they have space for baby car seats in those things!"

"Here's hoping!"

Sam could tell Stevie was excited, but at the same time was still holding back. It must be so hard for his brother, hoping and praying that this time everything would turn out well. He deserved for it to this time. He really did. His brother had a slightly wistful expression on his face. "Imagine, the next generation of the Evans family. We need to leave a legacy, something more than bricks and mortar. Sometimes it keeps me up at night sometimes. Not just poor Holly trying to get comfortable, but the thought about the responsibility of bringing children into this world. We've thought about it and discussed it for years now, but now the possibility of being the first ones to extend the Evans family in nearly twenty years is slightly overwhelming!"

Sam nodded, grinning widely and Stevie narrowed his eyes.

"Actually big bro, that's exactly what I needed to talk to you about!"

Stevie's expression changed to outright suspicion, knowing his brother all too well. "Please tell me you're not trying to tell me what I think you're trying to tell me…"

"I haven't told you anything yet."

"Sam! I'm serious. I can ready you like a damn book. Have you knocked someone up? Is it Kirsten?"

Sam silently shook his head.

"It's not Kirsten? Oh shit that's even worse! What's wrong with you? Why can't you just keep it in your pants?"

"Stevie, I was never as much of a man-whore as you thought I was! Yes I did go through a phase of being, how should I say, lax… but that's been over for a long time now. You know that!"

"So what-"

Sam just smiled and reached for his wallet, pulling out the photograph Mercedes had given him. Taking another look and smiling broadly he handed it over to his brother who put on his glasses before examining it. "What the hell am I supposed to be looking at Sam?"

His brother smiled. "Just keep looking. Does she remind you of anyone?"

Stevie paused for a moment before drawing the picture even closer to his face. "Sam, tell me right now what I'm looking at!"

"She's called Cheyenne and she's just turned six!"

"And her mom claims she's yours?"

"Yep."

"Have you taken a paternity test?"

"Have you looked at the picture? She couldn't look more like an Evans if she tried!"

Stevie did not look pleased. "How long have you known?"

"Only a couple of weeks."

"And you're sure she's definitely yours?"

"Well she sure as hell isn't yours Stevie! Besides, I recognize the mother. I remember her."

Stevie sighed, removed his glasses and tiredly rubbed his eyes. "So how much does she want?"

This time it was Sam's turn to frown. His brother was getting it all wrong! "She's not asking for money."

"Sam, you owe her years of child support. Of course she's going to want money!"

Sam stopped and thought for a moment. The three times they had seen each other, Mercedes had not once asked for money. Her only care was her child not being taken away from her. "And I'll give her whatever she needs and more!" It upset him that his brother had jumped to a conclusion, even if it was the logical one. "But you're missing the point here Stevie. I have a child! A daughter! You have a niece! Stacy and Holly have a niece! And she's gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!"

"I'm not disagreeing with that! What I'm not keen on is the negative publicity so close to the Europe launches!"

"What negative publicity?"

"Some woman comes to you with a child which she claims to be yours-"

"A child which _is _mine-"

"Sorry, a child which _is_ yours. After _six_ years! How many others are going to start coming out of the woodwork? This is all going to draw attention from what we're trying to do here!"

"Not it isn't! Stevie you've got this all wrong! It's not how you think it is!"

"So how come it's taken this person-"

"Her name is Mercedes-"

"How come it's taken this Mercedes girl _six years_ to decide to let you know you have a child?"

Sam scowled. "That's where Rachel Berry comes in."

"Rachel? What the hell?" Stevie rubbed his temple and began to pace. "Believe me, I am _trying _to understand. Just tell me from the beginning Sam because this is _not_ making sense right now!"

"Okay, here's the super-short version. Basically, I met this girl, she was upset, I was upset, we hooked up but she ran off before I could even get her name. And before you ask, yes we did use protection, it just failed. Anyway, I think nothing of it until a couple of weeks ago Puck spots this child with a familiar face. I dismiss it because I know for sure that I've never met the woman she was with. But when they go outside they meet another girl who I recognize as the one from that night! I had to get a private investigator to track her down, and after nearly screwing things up we finally sat and talked this afternoon and I came straight here to tell you."

Stevie shook his head. "I still don't understand. What has this all got to do with Rachel Berry?"

"Up until two weeks ago I had no idea who the girl was or that there was any baby. Only after tracking her down and confronting her did I find that she did try to contact me only to be turned away by somebody saying that I wasn't interested. Rachel had basically taken it upon herself to withhold information from me, destroy the sonogram of the baby that she was supposed to pass on and even told her that I had said she was never to contact me again on threat of police and legal action!"

"Shit!"

"Yeah. Exactly. And you know that's not the first time she's tried to interfere. Remember when I was going out with that gorgeous actress Amber from that show about singing high school kids which eventually got cancelled when all the good characters like hers got replaced? Well even then she would 'forget' to pass on messages and make bookings all because she thought I could do a lot better. She's been poison for years and I wish I'd followed my gut and got rid of her ages ago!"

"I'm sorry Sam! I didn't know she was like that."

"And I didn't want to believe it either. But the stuff she said- I made her confess her involvement to make sure that the stories matched up and she was insulting and unrepentant. She had to go!"

"I agree. Are you going to sue her?"

"I thought about it, especially as she did commit a felony destroying the sonogram, but to be honest I don't want to even accidentally generate publicity about my personal business. Besides, I don't want to drag Mercedes back through this. I have my own ideas on how to deal with Berry."

Stevie opened his mouth to ask something but Sam shut him down by continuing. "And I couldn't just tell you in the office what had happened yesterday because I needed to speak with Mercedes first. Plus, you had your own awesome news and there was no way that I was going to encroach on your special night with my own personal shit!"

Stevie sat back down, all of this information making his head swim. "So what are you going to do about this kid? You owe her!"

"I know. And I'm already sorting it."

Stevie still looked worried. "I don't know Sam. This all sounds pretty messy to me!"

"But it doesn't have to be. I'll admit, I was pretty pissed off at the beginning when I first found out, but after I thought about it for a few days I started to realize something."

"What did you realize?"

"I'm a _dad_ Stevie!"

"Yeah. I know."

"But think about it. All the things that you and Holly have wanted, I already had all this time and I didn't know! All I want to do now is make up for lost time. I already missed all the baby part and thanks to that bitch Berry I'll never be able to get that back, but the least I could do is step up and be a father to my child right now. I don't want her to just be a recipient of a check once a month. That's pretty much how our childhoods were. I want to see her continue to grow. I want to get to know her. I want what you want and I have the chance to start that right now." Sam sighed and sank back into his seat. "I know I'll always be the little brother, but now I'm in my thirties. I haven't been that playboy kid for a long while now. I've been given a chance to prove myself a man and I want to take it. Little Cheyenne," He took the picture back and smiled at it "She may have the surname Jones but she's an Evans. And we stick together. You know that."

"Of course I do. That's what I've been working at all these years."

"I can't miss out on this opportunity Stevie. I need to work these guys into our family where they belong."

"I know. It's just- do you _really_ know what you're doing?"

Sam smiled. "Nope." He folded his arms. "But then I don't think any man does when he first finds out that he's a father. It's something that we learn. Yes she was a mistake. But her mom doesn't regret her and now neither do I!"

Stevie shook his head and looked at him seriously. "I know that nothing I say will have any influence on you, but I just want you to be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"By a child?"

"By a woman and a child. If you're not careful they're the kind of people that can hurt you the most!"

Sam thought about his brother's words in silence for a moment. "I hear what you're saying. But I don't think they will. There's more chance of me hurting them and I'd rather cut off my right hand than let that happen."

"Good. Because I would be the one holding your hand down while you do it. I can't have you screwing up lives. I know that you're a good guy Sam and I'm sure this Mercedes girl and Cheyenne will learn it too. Just don't let me down."

"I won't."

As they both stood, he turned back to Stevie. "She was worried about you, you know."

"Who was?"

"Mercedes. She thought that you might have a problem with her being black!"

Stevie scoffed. "Really? I couldn't care less if she was blue!" Catching his brother's expression he rolled his eyes. "No that was NOT an Avatar reference by the way. I care about you because you're my brother. I care about this family and its reputation. I don't and never have cared about the race of the women you've slept with."

"I know that. But the fact that she was worried... It's not a question you'd ask if you were trying to screw someone over is it?" The question was more of a statement as he held the door open as his brother went through it.

"I guess not." Stevie glared at his brother, but there was a friendly undertone. "I'm still not happy with you though! If you'd listened to me all those years ago you wouldn't be in this mess."

Sam shrugged. "It doesn't have to be a mess. I have a feeling it's going to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Just you wait!"

* * *

The week was a busy one for Sam. Together with Maddie they interviewed and hired a new assistant for her. He pulled long hours at the office getting his work done due to having to take chunks out of his working day to work closely with his lawyers and real estate agents. Kristen wasn't happy about it but he made up for it by whisking her away for a romantic weekend. He kept his constant checking of his phone discreety but even there she could tell he was preoccupied.

At one point she had even crawled behind him and started to massage his shoulders, asking if there was anything she could do to relieve his tension. He felt bad shutting her out but this was family business. Instead, he fobbed her off with the excuse that there were deadlines he was trying to meet because of the Europe launches. But he promised that that he would fly her to London with him for the first week and they would make a romantic and shopping break out of it.

Time passed quickly. Monday morning he found Matt waiting for him in his office with a file on Rachel Berry and a memory stick of video footage of interest to both him and Tina Cohen-Chang. Tina was a former model and fashion icon who had dated Stevie for a year in college and had a hot five minute fling with Sam years later. It was just a bit of fun for both of them while they were on a holiday and a loose end, but their friendship had lasted that hot five minutes of passion. She was intelligent and a fiercely loyal friend, but showed no qualms in unleashing hell on those who dared to underestimate her Harvard trained intelligence or cross her. They often still moved in the same circles and due to their good terms both he and Stevie had both been in attendance at her high profile wedding to the famous quarterback Finn Hudson. Everyone who was anyone knew that Finn was a douche, but she married him for his popularity, making them the most photographed couple while keeping him on a tight leash. But his career was on the wane and his drug and alcohol problems were now not so secret. Tina was already in the process of cutting him loose, just in time for the launch of her autobiography, and even Sam was surprised at the lack of emotion she displayed on their Skype call when he sent her one of the many video files to look at.

"You've actually solved a mystery for me Sam." Her voice was calm.

He was confused. "I have?"

"You see that pink studded collar she's wearing?"

To be honest he hadn't really studied the footage of Rachel being DP'd on some sort of custom made bench in what looked like a dungeon with her hands cuffed behind her back. But yes, she was wearing a pink studded collar which was chained to the handcuffs, causing her back to arch painfully. Or was that because her scraped back ponytail was being yanked so tight as Finn Hudson slammed violently into her ass while wearing an obscenely large anal plug of his own and spewing some of the most vulgar insults known to man? Or was it because she was trying to back her head away as she gagged on the huge cock of the man she was deep throating?

"Yeah, I saw it." He'd actually switched off the footage pretty quickly but could still hear it playing at Tina's end. "Well, Finn likes to have two 'toys', one female and one male, hence the pink collar and the blue collar. I've known who the male was for a while but I hadn't got round to tracking down the female yet."

"Okaay…" Sam swallowed. She was taking this far too well.

"I can see this isn't really your thing either. I knew what he was up to even before we were married and I tolerated it as long as he promised to be discreet, not to film any of his sessions and not to try and touch me. He has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. Hell, judging by his haircut this was filmed within the last month. My book will launch while I ride the wave of publicity of having cut him loose. This footage doesn't need to be made public. Just a few well placed tears and a harrowing account in front of my divorce lawyers of how I was scared he may have passed an STD on to me will be sufficient to get me what I want. What about you?"

"I don't want this to go public either. I might find this kind of humiliation sick but not everyone does. I just don't even want to give her the chance of profiting from it. I just need those who think that she's miss prim and proper to see what she's really like. If she can be judgmental on my life then I'll get judgmental right back at her!"

Tina raised her eyebrow in an immaculate arch. "She must have screwed up big!"

"Massively. She lost me something I can never get back. And once she loses her prim shiny haired innocence she'll never be able to get that back either."

Tina nodded in understanding. "Leave it with me. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Tina worked fast. The next morning, Sam was surprised to see an email in his inbox from Rachel Berry. Her company email address had been suspended with all messages being forwarded to Maddie and an automated message stating that she no longer worked for Evans Industries.

This email had come from her personal address and was marked of high importance. He was about to automatically delete it when something about it caught his eye.

Clicking on it, he was presented with a short to the point message which sounded just like something Rachel would say.

_Subject: Please support my new business venture_

_Dear family and friends_

_After years of working for somebody else, I am pleased to announce that I have decided that now is the time for me to launch my own business venture._

_I'm loving every second of it and I hope that you will join me in this exciting, satisfying and highly profitable enterprise._

_Click below to see my specially tailor-made infomercial._

_All suggestions and requests to join will be gratefully accepted._

_x X x Rachel Berry x X x_

Knowing he shouldn't, he clicked on the link after ensuring that it was indeed scanned for viruses etc. It linked to a thirty second video clip. The footage was all from the torture chamber and was made up of three different ten second segments, each zoomed in on Rachel so that she was the only one in them who could be recognized. And just in case she were to assert the footage was not of her, there she was, bold as day in the scene where she was without the ball-gag or any other toy or piece of human anatomy shoved in her mouth, shouting commands to the camera of exactly what she wanted to have done to her.

The least offensive was the final one which was a close up of her face, smiling straight at the camera while four different cocks simultaneously squirted cum onto her face, one ribbon of which, landing so close to her eye that she finally had to flinch.

Sam scrolled back up the message and realized that it had been sent to her entire address book. It wasn't public but every single one of her friends, family and personal business contacts now had it in their inbox.

Just at that moment his phone buzzed with a text message from Tina.

**Profile pics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram also updated. Enjoy!**

Sam felt a twinge of guilt. Rachel Berry's life as she knew it was over.

She would recover, that he knew for sure, because women like here were bugs which refused to be totally crushed. But for now he was satisfied. He had taken his revenge. This one was for Mercedes because she would never have the opportunity to face Rachel herself to get closure for the personal humiliation that she'd had to go through at Rachel's hands.

With a personal life like hers she had absolutely no right to play judge, jury and executioner on his, costing him the childhood of his little girl. This was for all the things he missed. Cheyenne's birth, her first tooth, first words, first steps, first day of school… the list was endless. Berry had interfered in his personal life and he had now interfered in hers. It was over.

He deleted the email with a smile. The chapter on Rachel Berry was now closed.

* * *

Mercedes had spent the week playing over her conversation with Sam. As expected, her mom had grilled her about it on multiple occasions over the week and once she had seen the family photo Sam had given her, practically drooled over Stevie, even though he was stood next to his wife.

Sam at Unique's was a totally different man. Humble and reasonable. Maybe there was a way that they could work things out? Maybe she could arrange for weekly play sessions with Cheyenne? It boggled her mind and made her head hurt. As far as she was concerned, he was still a strange man, and there was no way on earth that she was going to allow him to be alone with her little girl. Sure he didn't seem as evil as he first had, but you never could trust men these days. She'd agonized that night over whether she had done the right thing in letting him keep a photograph of Chey before deciding that there wasn't really anything she could do about it now anyway.

Quinn had been beyond excited when she had told her who the father was and how the conversation went down. Was it wrong that Mercedes was the only one who wasn't feeling excited? Even the thought of the money that she was now bound to come into didn't make things easier for her.

It had surprised her when her mother had randomly pulled her into an embrace on the following Tuesday afternoon. "What was that for ma?"

Dionne kissed her teeth at her daughter. "Do I need a reason to hug my baby girl?"

Mercedes side-eyed her suspiciously. "Yessss…"

He mom grinned. "I'm just proud of my baby, that's all. I know with everything that it was hard for you to do what you did last week. I just know that you guys can work something out."

"I hope so ma. But I still haven't come up with a plan to put on the table when we meet tomorrow."

Dionne just smiled. "You'll think of something. Better still, the two of you will come up with something together."

She'd been busy cleaning in the bathroom when the knock came on the front door. He heard her mom answer it and seconds later she heard her name called. "Mercy? It's for you!"

Mercedes looked at her watch. She wasn't expecting anyone. Quinn would still be at work.

Quickly removing her gloves she sped down the stairs to see some sort of courier at the door. "Are you Miss Mercedes Jones?"

Nodding quickly she replied "Yes I am."

He looked relieved. "Great. Then these are for you."

He handed her a thick cardboard envelope and she signed the computerized docket so that he could go.

"What the hell is this?"

Her mom shrugged. "How the hell should I know!"

Mercedes ripped open the envelope and pulled out a folder with the Evans family logo which contained a think pile of legal papers.

"Oh my god ma! He wasn't supposed to do anything before we meet tomorrow!" Her heart raced and she looked up at her mom who was also becoming worried by her expression. "What does it say?"

"I haven't read them yet! Give me a second!" Mercedes sank into the nearest seat and began scanning through the pages, rapidly shaking her head.

"Nooo…"

"What is it babe?" Her mom was becoming increasingly concerned as her daughter flicked faster and faster, clearly not reading the paperwork properly but getting more and more wound up all the while.

"He has no right!"

"Mercy? Is it something bad?"

"I don't know!"

That response made her mom fret even more. How could she not know if it was good or bad? Whatever it was looked serious. For several more moments her daughter remained silent before bursting into tears. But Dionne knew her daughter. These were tears of frustration more than anything else. What the hell was going on?

Dionne took the papers from Mercedes' hand and took them over to the coffee table where her reading glasses rested. She sat down, pushed the glasses up her nose and spent the next fifteen minutes carefully reading through them.

Mercedes was going mad. As her mom read she paced up and down the room. All attempts at questioning were shot down with a raised hand. She ended up stepping out to make coffee and when she returned the woman was _still_ reading with an impassive expression on her face.

Finally Dionne pushed the papers back into the envelope, removed her glasses and sat back with a small sigh.

"Well?" Mercedes was on edge, expecting her mom to start ranting so that she could join in. Unfortunately she was bitterly disappointed.

"Hell YES!" Dionne shot her daughter a hard stare. "Very clever man!"

Mercedes went to protest but she was shot down. "Mercedes honey, you'd better shut your stubbornness down with a quickness because I've already decided that I _like_ this guy!"

* * *

_**Oooh. Cliffie time! What has Sam done? Is it good (as Dionne thinks), bad (as Mercedes thinks) or just downright ugly?**_

_**(There's actually a big clue if you read closely enough!)**_


	9. The Meeting

**_Wow! I did not expect people to get so caught up with my cliffie! I had no idea I'd made it so cryptic! Anyway, most seemed to think it had something to do with Sam changing Cheyenne's surname. But I couldn't have him do that. It would just be rude! Mercedes has brought her up alone and someone suddenly changes her name? She would totally flip at that and tbh there's only one way I can see her name changing… (bearing in mind Samcedes is endgame…)_**

**_But there were a couple of reviews who were pretty much there and one particular anon reviewer 'me' (who is not me I promise) got it first go!_**

**_The clue in the chapter the mention of Sam's meetings with his lawyers and real estate agents._**

**_On to the chapter… _**

* * *

"I can't believe he did that without consulting me!"

"I'm just impressed at how fast he managed to do it! Usually these things take weeks or months." Her mother mused.

Mercedes snatched up the envelope and removed the papers again. "Five million dollars! What the hell is a little girl going to do with _five million dollars_?"

"Absolutely nothing. It's a trust fund honey. She doesn't actually get it until she's twenty-one although she will be able to take a lump sum when she turns eighteen."

"But- she doesn't need this!"

Her mom shrugged. "Maybe not. But she has it. Her dad is rich. This is probably a drop in the ocean to him anyway."

"But aren't I supposed to have a say in this?"

"Not necessarily. There's no law that says you can't set up a trust fund for another person. Besides, he's her father. Of course he wants to make sure that she's provided for in the future!"

Mercedes sighed. It wasn't actually the trust fund with the mind melting amount of money in it that had bothered her. On some level she was expecting Sam to do something like that. What she wasn't expecting was the deed that she now held in her hands. She started to flick through the pages of it. "But mom… he bought a _house_!"

"I know. Very impressive. He must have had a whole team of lawyers working round the clock to make that happen so quickly!"

Mercedes shook her head. "I can't accept this from him."

"It's not yours to refuse. It's Cheyenne's. You're just a trustee until she 's of age."

"That's just a technicality."

"No. It's a fact! We both know that you've wanted and needed to move out of here for a while now."

"But- Mom I'm not going to be some kept woman! What if he wants, you know… _something_ in return?"

Dionne rolled her eyes at her daughter's thinking and didn't even bother to dignify it with a reply. "And as I said before, the house _is_ _not yours_. You owe him nothing." She nodded her head in contemplation. "Damn I like this guy! It's as if he already knows that if he tries to buy you things you'll refuse so he's found a way around it. And good on him! You'd better be careful of this one Mercy, coz he's already sussed you out!"

"You just want me gone from here!"

"No. I just want you to find your own feet. You know as well as I do that you're welcome to stay here as long as you need, but for your own sake it's time for you to get back out into the world and reclaim your independence! Reclaim your dignity and your personality. We both know that what you've become recently is not the real you. You're more than overdue a fresh start and now you've been given a golden opportunity to do it."

"But what about childcare?"

"It's not far. I can still look after Chey whenever you need. And she'll always have a room here, as will you."

"And I'm not sure that I should disrupt Chey's life like this-"

"Now you're just making excuses!" Her mom looked at her crossly. "Did you even pay attention to the address! It's right by her school. The man could not have picked a more perfect location. I'm nearby, her school is nearby and I know for a fact that the houses on that street have lovely back yards so she'll be able to play outside in a way that she can't here."

Mercedes huffed. She wanted to argue but knew that it was in her interests to quit right now. Her mom would only continue to keep talking sense and she wasn't quite ready to hear it all.

Her mom came and sat next to her, taking her hand. "Listen Mercy, I know you're mad but that's just because of the independent way in which you think. This man has done a good thing. He's looking out for his child. He's making sure that she has money and she has a home. He's just trying to be a good dad. Give him a chance and just let him."

Dionne gently kissed her daughter's forehead before standing and leaving her alone with her coffee and her thoughts.

* * *

Mercedes had hardly slept. To say that she was anxious was an understatement. By three am she was wide eyed and in a sweaty state of panic. She still had no idea of what to say to Sam when they met for lunch. Much as it irked her, her mother's suggestion of coming up with an idea together with Sam was sounding more and more appealing as the minutes passed.

She actually liked the thought that they meet at Unique's again. It was a place that made her feel comfortable and was half way between her home and Sam's office. Plus Wade's smile had a way of making her feel calm. And knowing that access to his sweet treats would be instantaneous should the shit truly hit the fan was the proverbial icing on the cake.

Eventually dragging herself from a wasted night spent tossing in bed, she decided to attempt to fish through her wardrobe for something decent to wear. After regretting not heeding Quinn's words of warning the first time, she was determined to create a better impression second time around and she still had a good amount of time before Chey woke up.

By six she was in tears. Outfit after outfit had been tried and discarded. She was only able to get half of them on, and those that had been forced on did not do up. Had she really been living in sweats and baggy tops so long that the only decent things remaining in her closet were her maternity wear? How the hell had she let that happen to herself?

Finally pulling out the black pants she had worn on her date with George - _to think she used to laugh at the idea of wearing stretchy waisted pants - _a plain black tank and a hot pink wrapover tunic that drew attention to her bustline rather than her waist she sank into a deep filled hot bath with a lavender and chamomile bath bomb which she hoped would calm her nerves a little.

It did. But the emphasis was on little.

The whole morning was a struggle. Her mom kept giving her hints and tips of what to say and what not to say. For the umpteenth time Dionne reminded her to be 'gracious not disagreeable' although she did comment favorably on her choice of outfit. Cheyenne was playing up, being indecisive about what she was going to wear (for which Mercedes on this particular day could not be judgmental), eating her breakfast painfully slowly and deciding to sneak toys into her bag when she knew she wasn't allowed to take them to kindergarten with her.

By the time she had returned from dropping off Chey, she'd barely had time to sit at her vanity, apply lip gloss and add a pair of drop earrings to her outfit before the car arrived to collect her. She was disappointed that it was a different car and that the driver was not Carl. Even though they had not spoken on her last journey she could have done with the sense of familiarity. Fortunately, she regained it when she walked through the door of Unique's. It was busier this time, with the lunchtime crowd, and Wade had a girl called Sunshine working alongside him to speed up the orders. Worried that she would not find a place to sit she was relieved to look over and see Sam already in the seats they had occupied the week before. Catching her eye he smiled and stood as she made her way over, sitting only after she had taken a seat herself.

"How are you doing Mercedes?" There was something about the way her name rolled off his tongue that warmed her. She didn't know why and it was annoying that she liked it.

"I'm fine thank you Sam." _Remember to be gracious. _"How was your week?"

"Busy."

"I can imagine. I got the paperwork you sent yesterday." She could see his eyebrows rise in curiosity and she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying anything out of turn. "Thankyou." The word was simple but it seemed enough for Sam in that moment. She knew she was being rude but it was her way of not launching into him within seconds of her arrival. Looking around she asked "I thought you said we were going to meet with your lawyers?"

He nodded. "We are. But I thought maybe we could grab a bite of lunch ourselves first. I know the thought of them coming unnerved you and I was thinking it would be better if you had a chance to relax a little first. Besides, I still think its better that we talk between ourselves as much as we can before involving them. But first, I'm pretty hungry so shall we order? Wade does some pretty awesome sandwiches."

"Sure. I remember seeing one last time we were here. What do you recommend?"

"Well to be honest, I'm quite a classic guy. Pretty much every time I come here I order the open club sandwich. Because yes it is _that_ good."

She nodded. "Okay then I'll have the same."

Sam turned and caught Wade's eye before nodding.

"Five million dollars Sam!" She hadn't meant to blurt it out but the words just spilled out, opening up the subject before even she was ready.

Sam looked sheepish. "I know, I had wanted to make it ten million but Stevie thought I should start lower because I could always add-" He stopped talking as he notice Mercedes choking. "Are you okay?"

Right on cue Sunshine arrived with two tall glasses of homemade lemonade. Mercedes took a long drink as she calmed down. She had wanted to respond to Sam but the words that actually left her mouth were "Wow! That lemonade is _really good!_"

"I know. Wade makes it fresh every morning. But are you okay?"

She took another sip. "Yeah. It's just- I wasn't asking for more money! I was shocked about the size of the trust fund in the first place!"

"Oh. But you know I had to do it right. She's my daughter and I need to provide for her-"

"I know that. But, a couple of grand would have been fine."

"Mercedes. I'm worth more than you could possibly imagine. That means our daughter is also worth more that you could possibly imagine. I can see that I'm going to have a lot of trouble getting through to you on this but you have to let me take care of you."

"What if I don't want to be taken care of?"

Sam's face flickered with annoyance. "You don't have a choice."

"Why not?"

"Mercedes, when are you going to realize that it's not just you anymore! You don't have to do this alone and I'm not going to let you do this alone."

She opened her mouth to reply but saw Wade heading over to them with a wide smile and a tray.

"Here you go darlings. Two open club sandwiches and a side of fries to share!" He put them on the table before them with a flourish before adding cutlery and paper napkins. "Enjoy!"

Mercedes muttered her thanks, appetite suddenly gone. Sam looked at her with a frown. It was as if things between them were held together with a very fine thread which was at the point of snapping.

He grabbed one of the fries, violently dipped it into the dish of ketchup and stuffed it into his mouth. The action angered her more than she knew was rational but she was now starting to feel fired up. "You bought a house!"

He nodded. "I know. It took a lot of effort to get all the paperwork through on that in time."

"But you can't just buy someone a house!"

"I think you'll find that I just did!" Sam took his knife and fork and carefully contemplated where he was going to start his attack on the sandwich.

Mercedes was infuriated by his state of distraction. "Is this what you were planning all along? To tuck us away somewhere like a mistress and bastard child hidden from the world?"

Sam put his cutlery back down. "What the hell is wrong with you Mercedes? If I wanted you hidden away I would have just not bothered making any contact. You stayed hidden away for six years pretty well all by yourself. Stop making this about you!"

"But it _is_ about me. I see what you're doing. You're the big rich man and all you have to do is throw money at me. I may have made one sexual mistake in my life but that doesn't make me cheap! I'm not going to become anybody's kept woman!" He voice started to rise in a harsh whisper and Sam glared at her to remember to keep it down.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? I am not trying to make you into any kind of 'kept woman'! The house is for Cheyenne, not you. I purposely did it that way because I figured it was the only way you would take it because you were the type to not want to accept help."

"I don't need help."

"Maybe you don't need it but I'm giving it anyway."

"What kind of a man forces what he feels is right on others?"

"What kind of a man would I be if I didn't provide a home for my child?"

Mercedes angrily picked up her glass of lemonade and took a gulp, knowing that he was right and there was nothing that she could say back to him.

Sam shook his head and smiled, taking in her annoyed expression. "You know what? I like you. You're feisty. Most women, if they had a child fathered by a millionaire, would jump at the chance to make as much as possible from it. But not you. Not Mercedes Jones. You would rather live with your mom and struggle with a part time job which doesn't pay enough to even get the smallest place for you and your little one, rather than accept help from the man who should be paying for these things."

He took another fry from the basket and Mercedes snatched a couple herself. She didn't really want them but they looked delicious and there was no way that she was going to let this man wolf them down all by himself! She chewed slowly, pretending not to enjoy them as she watched him smirk.

"Why are you trying to fight me on this Mercedes? We're not that different you and I. We each hold a set of principles that are dear to us and we stick to them. For me it's family. We stay close. We look after each other and we look out for each other. Nobody gets left behind. Nobody gets forgotten. A man is not a man unless he provides for his own. There's all sorts of things I want to do for Cheyenne but I know that first and foremost, she's you're little girl. She has been for years and I'm not suddenly going to interfere with that. All I'm trying to do is make your life a little easier. Make her life a little happier. You don't want to be living with your mom forever do you? But how will you find a way out? I've offered you a legitimate way out and still you're fighting me!"

Mercedes stared down at her sandwich, willing herself not to cry. Sam leaned forward, forcing her to listen to him but not forcing her to look at him. "I remember you saying that Cheyenne is a fighter but she gets it from her mom. You've already had to fight for things in your life. You would fight to the death for your child and it's the right thing to do. I would fight for her too. We're on the same side, you and me, we shouldn't be fighting each other. Up until now you've had to do so much on your own but I'm here to let you know that it's okay to stand down and let someone else share the burden. You've worked hard and you've loved hard. Now you deserve good things. Let me step up to the plate and do my bit."

_Damn him for being such a smooth talker!_

She lifted her head and made the mistake of meeting his emerald green eyes which sparkled with sincerity.

"_Please_ Mercedes."

This man was charm personified. How the hell was anyone supposed to resist him? He could tear down walls and talk a jumper from a ledge in a few smooth words. He shot her a lopsided smile that was impossible not to resist and she returned it with a watery version of her own.

Suddenly he was that guy she met on roof what felt like a lifetime ago.

"There we go! Last time we were here things went really well. It would be such a shame to undo all of that." He took his fork and lifted a lettuce leaf, wondering where best to put it on his plate so that he could continue to attack the sandwich. "And you know what would be an even greater shame? Getting so worked up that we can't enjoy eating these awesome sandwiches that Wade has made us."

Mercedes looked down at her plate. It did look good.

She resolved to make more of an effort and sighed heavily. "Look. Can we start this lunch over again before the heavies get here?"

Sam smiled at her brightly. "Sure. I'd love that."

"Okay…" Mercedes paused, swallowing the last of her lemonade before returning Sam's smile. "It's good to see you again Sam. Thank you for setting up the trust fund for Cheyenne. And buying her a house was a wonderful idea as well as a smart investment."

"I'm glad that you appreciate it. It's the minimum I could do. I want to prove that I'm serious about making things work with Cheyenne. Have you seen the house yet?"

"No. I was going to swing by last night just to have a look at the outside but it started to get late."

"That's okay." He reached into his pocket and handed her a set of keys. "You can go this afternoon. The car will take you back in time to pick Cheyenne from kindergarten. You can grab your mom and all go together to have a look. I hope you'll like it. It's the kind of place that I wish I could have grown up in."

"Chey is only just turned six. She doesn't need a massive mansion to run amok in. I don't want her to become the spoiled little rich girl that everybody hates."

"Believe me, neither do I. I come across far too many of those in my life as it is!"

"So why are you doing this?"

Sam smiled his warm smile. "Just trust me and take a look at the place. There were decorators in this morning painting everything white so that you'll have a clean canvas to work with. I was thinking you could pick your color schemes, shop around for furniture and be moved in by next weekend. What do you think?"

She frowned at the level of charge he seemed to be taking but then she relaxed. He was giving her the chance to have a look then have free rein over what went into it. She should be working with him not against him. "That sounds like a really great idea. Thanks."

"I just wish I could come with you. I had hoped to take the entire afternoon off but with all the viewing of properties and extra meetings with lawyers I need to get back to my desk for a few more hours in for today. But I'm still available on my phone. Don't forget, you have a direct line to me. No interfering assistants. If you ever need anything or have to ask anything, I'm just a call away."

Mercedes felt guilty. Maybe she had been misjudging this man. Yet again she had to admit her mom might be right in her estimation of him. He was strong willed, but for good, not for evil.

"You went and viewed properties yourself?"

"Of course! This is home for my baby. I won't leave that in anybody else's hands."

Yep. He was definitely more amazing than she had first suspected. He was filthy rich. He had people who could do everything for him. But he saw this as something important enough to be hands on for himself.

They ate in silence for a while, enjoying their sandwiches before Sam spoke first. "So I was wondering, did you think more about how we can work out how I get to see Chey?"

Mercedes stopped chewing. This was the moment she had been dreading. She looked him square in the eye. "To be honest, I was kind of hoping we could just talk about it. Or you could come up with something and I would just agree or disagree. She's only just turned six. We don't have to be rigid."

Sam smiled a smile that lit up his whole face. "I know we can!" He pushed his unfinished plate away from him slightly. "I was hoping that we could just talk too. I only had one idea but wasn't sure how it would fit with your routine."

Mercedes put down her fork. "I'm listening."

"Well… For me, one thing I really missed as a child was sitting down and having a meal with my family. So my suggestion was, once you move into the house, I come round for one meal at the weekend. It can be Saturday or Sunday. Nothing massive, just lunch or something. It doesn't even have to be at the house. We could come here, or have a picnic at the park... or something... Then, you know, we'll still have the evening free to get on with our own lives. I still have appearances to make, people to see as well as work. But I don't mind making the drive up so that you don't have to travel. What do you say?"

He looked at her expectantly with exactly the same expression that Chey had when she wanted something really _really_ badly. It was an expression she always found impossible to resist. "Sure. That sounds reasonable."

Mercedes was so sure that he was going to leap over the table and hug her but somehow he managed to hold himself back. What he couldn't hold back however, was the expression of sheer joy and jubilation which manifested itself all over his face.

"Really?" There was still a twinge of childish disbelief in his voice.

She nodded. "Really."

She watched as Sam bit his bottom lip and let out a sound which was a bit like a poorly suppressed squeal before sitting back in his seat and just basking.

Just seeing his expression made Mercedes feel bad about the hard time she had given him. He was genuinely trying and so should she.

"How long have we got until the lawyers come Sam?"

He looked at his watch. "We still have another thirty minutes. Enough to finish our food and scoff down one of Wade's creations before they look down their virtuous 'I don't eat sugary crap like that' noses at us. "

Yep. She could definitely get on with this guy. "So I was thinking. Can we continue with our twenty questions? There's so much about you that I still don't know."

He leaned forward. "Sure. I was going to suggest that anyway. Your turn to start."

"How do I introduce you? If I tell her that you're her dad straight away then it might confuse things. But if I introduce you as Sam, when we do tell her, I don't want her to be one of those precocious kids who call their parent by their first name."

Sam frowned. "Excellent question. I would go for Sam. She can call me Lord Farquart for all I care as long as I get to be a part of her life." He frowned as she smiled at the choice of name. "Okay, maybe not Lord Farquart, but you know what I'm saying."

"Yeah. I get you. She calls you Shouting Man anyway." Sam cringed at the memory. "We'll see how it goes with Sam. But if she asks who you are we tell the truth. Agreed?"

"Agreed. Speaking of names, I used to think of you as Crying Girl. Why were you crying that night?"

Mercedes stiffened. She definitely wasn't ready to open up to Sam about that yet. He was still a relative stranger. "Can I pass on that one?"

Sam frowned but saw that she was feeling uncomfortable so he didn't push the point. "Okay. Would you allow me to get Cheyenne a belated birthday present?"

"It depends on what it is. But sure. Why not. What did your brother say when you told him about me?"

"He told me not to screw this up."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's more of a dad to me than our dad ever was. He told me off for getting someone pregnant, he told me not to hurt you or to let you hurt me and that ultimately I should have listened to him and stayed zipped in my pants until marriage."

Mercedes thought carefully about the response. "Wise words. Sadly mostly too late for us, but wise nonetheless."

They continued talking, asking more questions about each other, Mercedes asking about Sam's work and Sam asking about her family until they remembered to grab their sweets. Opting to trust Wade's instinct and go for pot luck they were rewarded with a miniature banoffee pie and an Irish cream liqueur cheesecake which they went halves on. Unlike many men, Sam didn't seem to have an issue with sharing food.

By the time Sam's athletic looking lawyer arrived (thankfully alone rather than as part of a team), all traces of the excess calories were gone and nothing but a shared knowing look remained.

Sam could tell that the woman's presence had made Mercedes tense up and he did his best to alleviate it. "Mercedes, this is my lawyer, Brittany Pierce."

She eyed the slender blond with the big blue eyes and the hair pulled up into a high ponytail. Aside from the sharp suit she looked more like a high school cheerleader than a cutthroat attorney. She watched as the woman pulled out a yellow legal pad and a pencil with a small plastic unicorn with rainbow colored hair sitting on the top of it. _Who still writes with pencil?_

Mercedes shot a worried look at Sam and he smiled at her reassuringly. "Don't be fooled by appearances. Not only is Miss Pierce far older than she looks" instantly dismissing her first concern "She has also proven time after time that she is the best of the best. I trust her implicitly which is why I have selected her out of my whole legal team to handle my personal affairs."

She scoffed when she heard the word affairs. _I bet you enjoy her handling your affairs too! _Tall blond and athletic. Who wouldn't?

She noticed Sam smiling at her with a faint shake of his head. He indicated again to the unicorn on top of her pencil as she scribbled on the paper and it suddenly dawned on her what he was trying to say. Suddenly feeling foolish she leaned over to try and see what the woman was writing. She was taken aback to see that it was actually the sketch of an overweight cat creeping along the edge of the page. As if suddenly realizing where she was, the blond suddenly slammed the pad down noisily against the table and tapped her pencil on it. "But you can call me Brittany." She began as if there had been no lull in the conversation. "There's no need for formality with me unless we're in the courtroom. I have been and will continue to look after all Mr Evans' legal concerns with regard to his child miss Cheyenne Riley Jones."

Sam tried to smile at her but Mercedes couldn't help biting her lip with nerves. Brittany slipped on a pair of glasses which suddenly made her look far more serious before shooting Mercedes a goofy grin which totally ruined the look. "I take it you have already received copies if the paperwork for the Trust Fund as well as the deed for the house."

"Yes I have."

"That's brilliant." She wrote something on the pad then immediately crossed it out. "Next on the agenda is Mr Evans' child support contributions. He has offered to pay you the sum of one-"

Sam suddenly stopped Brittany full flow. "I think you had better write it down. We're in a public place."

Understanding what he was saying, she quickly ripped the corner off the top page of her pad, scribbled something on it and slid it over to Mercedes.

She choked for the second time.

Appearing to not even notice, Brittany continued "That figure is a one off lump sum as a goodwill gesture to cover previous as yet unmade contributions for the first years of the child's life when he was not around, plus the inconvenience caused to you by your pregnancy."

Only Sam seemed to notice that Mercedes was having difficulty breathing and he held his hand up for Brittany to stop speaking while he urged Mercedes to calm down and take a sip of her coffee.

Mercedes appeared not to have heard anything that Brittany said after seeing the amount on the piece of paper in front of her. "One point five…"

"It's okay Mercedes." Sam was looking worried.

"But it's one point five mil…"

"I said it's fine. I have to. I'm obligated to. And most of all I want to."

Brittany continued. "On the first of each month, starting on and including next month, you will receive a monthly child support allowance in the figure of twenty thousand dollars a month…"

This time Sam got sprayed with coffee and Mercedes wanted to die as she watched him take a paper napkin to wipe his face.

"I am soooo sorry-"

He shrugged. "It's okay. I was the one who told you to have the coffee before she finished reading." He wiped the droplets that had landed on the table, narrowly missing Brittany's legal pad and papers. She continued to read as though nothing had happened.

"-These monies are to be used to support the day to day living cost of Miss Cheyenne Riley Jones, as well as other costs as stated in this agreement."

"Sam!" People were looking and Wade rushed over with a glass of water. Her eyes filled with tears but she suspected these were most likely due to the ongoing coughing spasms rather than anything else which her brain had not yet had the chance to fully process yet.

Despite the drama, Mercedes was still able to take a moment to appreciate how speedily Wade was able to move in the bright red patent stilettos which he was wearing today. After a few deep raggedy breaths she raised her hand to indicate that she was fine.

But she wasn't.

_One point five million dollar lump sum?_

_Twenty thousand dollars a month child support allowance?_

Those kind of figures didn't even compute inside her head.

She looked wild eyed at Sam. "I can't accept that! It's not about the money. It was never about the money! I'm not a gold digger. I don't need this!"

"I know Mercedes. In the times we met you never once asked about money. It was about your little girl every time. But I owe you, not just in time and attention for our little girl, but in money too. Do with it what you will, but you can't stop me from giving it to you. It's already yours. _Let me do this! _An account has been set up in your name and the funds have already been deposited."

Mercedes shook her head, still unable to process the large amounts of money that had been mentioned. Her only thought was that she could now buy a Wii for Chey who had been pestering for one and hire a personal trainer to help her lose some weight. Hell, she could even afford one of those ones who come to wake you up in the morning to make sure you get the exercise done and the calories burned!

Finally she remembered her mother's words to be gracious. She could fight this another time in a less public place. "Thank you" she mouthed silently. Sam nodded and smiled quietly.

Brittany saw it as her cue to carry on speaking. "Mr Evans has requested that there be a clause in the monthly allowance, stating that the account holding the funds be opened with a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar deposit, which has already been done, and that all monies required for the maintenance, upkeep and utilities of the property of Miss Cheyenne Riley Jones be withdrawn from this account."

Mercedes had to think about that one for a moment. So basically, she would be living rent free.

Brittany flicked her eyes between Mercedes and Sam as if watching a speedy tennis rally. "Have you guys used your seven days to come to an agreement over visitation?"

Sam beamed as he nodded. "We have agreed to sit down to one family meal every weekend to begin with."

Brittany flicked her head back to Mercedes. "Are you in full agreement of this?"

Mercedes took a look at Sam's excited face. "Yes. Yes I am."

"That's great!" Her face suddenly broke into a childish grin that was even bigger than Sam's as she turned to him "See! I told you that Lord T always has the best ideas!"

Mercedes frowned. "Lord T?"

Sam shook his head and mouthed "Not right now" causing her to make a note to ask the question again later when it was just the two of them.

"I also need to inform you that Mr Evans has undertaken to put you and your daughter onto his family healthcare plan which will have you instantly covered for any medical eventuality both here and abroad."

Mercedes' eyes widened. She was included too?

"You're her mom" Sam whispered soothingly.

"That's great! I think we've covered everything for now" Brittany finished. "Once we've drawn everything up and added the visitation clause, I'll get the paperwork formalized and returned to you both for signing as soon as possible." She pulled all her papers and notes together and stored them away in her smart briefcase before drowning the dregs of her vile looking vegetable juice. "Well that didn't go too badly did it!" As she stood she offered her hand to Mercedes.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you Miss Jones." Mercedes took the offered hand and nodded, still in shock at the amounts of money that had just been bounded about by the two unflinching individuals at the table with her.

"Always a pleasure Sam." Brittany also offered him a firm handshake.

"Likewise." She shook his hand and within seconds was gone.

Mercedes sat speechless. She still hadn't quite got to grips with what had just happened. Sam was just sitting and smiling at her and she found it _annoying._

"What's so funny Sam?"

"You. At one moment I thought we were going to have to call the paramedics!"

"All those numbers Sam…"

"I know. But they're just numbers. I wanted the figures to be more but my legal team kept trying to bind me up in endless clauses. Apart from Brittany they're less trusting of you than I am."

"I'm not surprised." She murmured.

"Yeah, well, I had to make sure my baby was taken care of."

"And that's just it!" Mercedes leaned forward, finally able to express what was bothering her. "Everything is taken care of. Where does that leave me? Where does that leave my life? I still end up feeling like the kept woman."

"I already told you you're not 'kept' Mercedes. You can still live your life as you want. You have money now but what you do with it is up to you. The house I bought is not flashy, it's gloriously average. If you still want to work you can. If you want to hire a nanny and stay in bed all day you can do that too. Even though the house is as much for you as it is for Cheyenne, I put it in her name so that you would accept it. I know that you don't want to seem to be profiting from having this baby but you do deserve something. Other than getting the chance to see and get to know my daughter I'm not going to interfere in your life. I know that you already have your own life as much as I have mine. There are things that are important to you and I'm not trying to take that away. Like I said the last time we met Mercedes, there's no need to be scared of me."

Despite her internal inbuilt resistance she did feel reassured by his words. "It's just- it's just that this is all taking a bit of getting used to!"

"I know. Bit I promise it's fine. You'll be fine. _We'll_ be fine. This will all work out. You'll see."

"Mr Evans?"

Mercedes looked up to see Carl had approached them. Sam looked at the time and cursed. "I'm really sorry but I have to go and so do you. Carl will take you to pick Cheyenne and see the house." He followed them as they made their way to the door. "And… uh…" He suddenly looked nervous. "Do you think maybe I'll I be able to see get to see Chey this weekend?"

Mercedes bit her lip. Her instincts were telling her to say _hell to the no_ but she knew that now was the time to start doing the right thing for all of them. "Sure. I'll text you and we'll arrange something!"

Sam looked beyond thrilled. Beyond excited. He was positively ecstatic and his enthusiasm reassured her. Yet again he saw her to the car and as he turned to leave she called after him.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

She smiled at him warmly. "I really mean it when I say thankyou."

* * *

She had just exited the car and was standing outside Chey's kindergarten when her phone rang.

"Well?" It was her mom. Never one to waste words in important situations.

Mercedes looked around to make sure that nobody was in earshot before whispering "I'm rich mom!"

"Well I should damn well hope so with a rich baby daddy like him! I hope you didn't give him a hard time!"

She bit her lip guiltily. "Maybe just a little at the beginning. But we're all good now I promise. I'll tell you about it later. But right now I need you to get ready. I'm just picking up Chey then you're coming with me to see the house!"

As they pulled up outside the property, Mercedes pressed her nose against the glass with awe while Dionne was less than impressed. "With all the money the man has, he chose _this?_"

Mercedes immediately leaped out of the car and ran up the path, leaving her mother to get Chey out of her car seat. She skipped little circles as she made her way up. "Mom this is perfect."

Again she turned up her nose. "Really? I was expecting some sort of mansion."

"No. I would have hated that. It would have made me feel uncomfortable."

"I would have thought it would have at least been one of the bigger houses further up the street!"

Mercedes shook her head happily. "Nope. This is exactly the kind of place I would have chosen for myself and somehow, without me even telling him he understood that. Sam actually came out here to view houses in person and says this is the kind of place that he wished he had grown up in. I can understand why he would say that now."

"Surely the man grew up in a place that looked like it belonged on MTV cribs!"

"I think that's the point ma. It's what he wanted not what he had." She used the keys to open the door and was faced with white walls and the smell of fresh paint. It was a blank canvas waiting for Mercedes Jones to put her mark onto it.

She paused at the entrance for a moment and stopped to think. Maybe, just maybe, she had been underestimating the sort of man Sam Evans really was.

* * *

**_Next chapter we'll see the house in more detail and get some Sam/Chey/Mercedes interraction!_**


	10. New Beginnings

Mercedes' first impression of her new home was amazement. She didn't know if it was because all the walls were white, but the place immediately felt bright and airy. It was also completely devoid of furniture. She stood in the middle of what was clearly to be the lounge and twirled. Her mom walked in hand in hand with Cheyenne and rolled her eyes.

"Mommy, what is this place?"

"It's your new house baby."

The little girl looked around, thoroughly unimpressed. "I don't like it. It's boring and there's nowhere to sit."

"That's because we need to get furniture. Then we can paint it all different colors and have lots of adventures here!"

Chey's face mirrored her grandmother's skepticism. "I like _our_ house."

"So do I. But we can't live there forever. You're going to get a brand new room and you can choose what color it's going to be."

"I can choose?" There was an instant brightening in her face.

"Sure." Mercedes grabbed her hand. "Lets' go upstairs and choose you a room."

Suddenly feeling excited she led the way up the stairs to be met with four doors. Opening the first she walked into what she guessed was be the master bedroom. It was huge with an ensuite bathroom tucked away in the corner. The windows were big and overlooked the yard. Mercedes gasped. "Mom! Look at this!" Calling her mom over, they looked out to the wide space and neatly trimmed grass outside.

"Humph! I guess if he was going to get you such a small house it makes sense that it at least has a decent sized back yard!"

Ignoring her, Mercedes cast her eyes around the room again, envisioning where she was going to put her bed before spotting the built in closet and dying all over again. Leaving her mom to thoroughly inspect the ensuite she dragged Chey into the next room. It was smaller than hers with a smaller ensuite and no closet. She picked up a still confused looking Chey and swung her around. "This is going to be your room sweetie!"

"But where will I sleep?"

The lack of furniture was clearly hampering her daughter's imagination. "We're going to buy you a bed sweetie. Maybe that princess one you always wanted? And you'll have a big closet for all your clothes and a desk where you can do drawing and coloring and a beanbag for when your friend comes to play!"

"A big bean bag?"

"Yeah. A big bean bag."

Now Chey was starting to get excited and Mercedes smiled at the fact that with all that was happening, her daughter was more excited about finally getting the beanbag she had always wanted rather than anything else.

The third bedroom was the same size as Chey's but had no ensuite and faced the front. Mercedes automatically designated it the guest bedroom. Maybe Quinn could crash here after their wine drinking girlie nights after Chey was asleep. The final door was a bathroom which would be used for guests and visitors.

Suddenly she noticed something she hadn't seen before. Another very small set of stairs. Making her way up she entered a large converted attic room with windows set in the sloping roof.

"Mercy?"

"I'm up here!"

She was looking up out of the window when her mom walked in hand in hand with her daughter. "Oh wow! I didn't expect this!"

"Neither did I. This room is beautiful. It gets so much sunlight. I was thinking, maybe it could be a playroom for Chey."

Dionne nodded, finally getting into the swing of things walking around. "Or you could even split it into two smaller rooms and have one as a playroom and one as an office or extra bedroom or even storage!"

_All the possibilities!_

She turned to her mom. "I hope you're prepared for a _really_ long day spent in Ikea!" Mercedes started to get excited at the thought. "We can have lunch and I can even afford to have the stuff delivered and assembled!"

Dionne scoffed. "Ikea? You just told me you're rich. There is going to be _nothing_ from Ikea in this house. You gotta think _big_ Mercedes. Money is no object for you now!"

Mercedes' breath caught in her chest. Yes of course. How had she already forgotten that she was rich? Old habits die hard. This was going to take some getting used to. Maybe she could go to that nice furniture store in the mall…

"Why is the window funny mommy?"

She was pulled from her thoughts by a little voice. "Huh?"

"Why isn't it straight?"

"Oh, that's because we're in the roof."

"The roof?"

"Yep. That's why the walls are slanted because the roof is slanted too."

The little girl thought about it for a moment. "I think I like being in the roof!"

Mercedes fought back a chuckle. "Come on guys, we haven't finished looking downstairs yet!"

At the bottom she discovered another door under the stairs that she hadn't noticed on first perusal. "We also have a basement!" Barely containing the excitement in her voice she opened the doors and immediately found the light switch. After a couple of seconds the light flickered on revealing some steep stairs and a large space.

Mercedes let out a low whistle. "Wow! This place is like a TARDIS! Totally bigger on the inside!"

By now even Dionne was starting to look a little impressed. What had looked like a regular house from the outside was proving to me more than at first glance. Mercedes began the descent. "Hold Chey's hand on the steps mom!"

As soon as she hit the bottom and took a look at the wide clean windowless space one word immediately leaped out at her.

_Gym!_

She could do everything in here without even having to leave the house! No having to worry about who would watch Chey if she wanted to do a run. And no excuse that she felt too self-conscious to walk into a public gym.

Leaving her mom to monitor Chey who had decided it was the perfect space in which to simply spin around in endless circles, she made her way back up the steps, trying the next door which seemed to be some sort of utility room. She also hit another reception room, probably some sort of dining room before entering the kitchen. It was huge. The room looked weird due to the lack of fittings, but there was a table stood in the middle and on the table was a pile of catalogs topped with a white envelope with her name on it. Surprised, she picked it up and quickly opened it, pulling out a sheet of paper.

_Mercedes_

_I really hope you like the house. It may look small but it has plenty of room. Please decorate and furnish it as you wish. Attached is a list of trusted electricians, decorators, carpenters, plumbers, interior designers and carpeters. Just send all tradesmen invoices to my office. The enclosed card is to be used for the purchase of all furniture, minor and major appliances and anything else you may need to set up home._

_Remember, only the best for our child!_

_Thanks again for everything_

_Sam_

Looking again at the envelope she saw the card that she had initially missed. It was a platinum Amex card with her name on it!

At that moment she lamented the lack of places to sit because she could feel her knees turning to jelly. She opted simply to sit on the floor with her back against the wall as the tears started to stream down her face. Suddenly it was becoming all too real. Seeing the card with her name on it really hit home the fact that her life had changed. It was different. She was no longer the struggling single mom. Suddenly her life was a huge realm of possibilities and there was a handsome rich man making it all happen. It's like she'd been living in a Dickens novel and suddenly a wealthy benefactor had turned up. Little Cheyenne, a girl who deserved the best was going to get the best. Mercedes still didn't quite know what the best was yet, but she was going to make damn sure that she was going to get it!

And all because of Sam Evans.

How did she get him so wrong? What if things had been different? What if he had received the sonogram at the time that she had taken it over for him? Would he have been so generous? And if she hadn't fled that night would things have been different?

"Mommy? Why are you crying? Are you sad?"

She suddenly felt a small pair of arms wrap themselves around her and she smiled reassuringly at her daughter. "No baby. I'm crying because I'm happy. Very happy."

"Oh." Cheyenne looked unconvinced and pulled her mother into a second hug, this time resting her head on her mom's shoulder.

"Mercy?"

The worry was in her mom's voice too. Without a word she handed the note and the card for her mom to see. Within seconds there was another low whistle. "Baby it just got _real_!"

"I know mom."

"I hope you've thanked him for all this!"

"Of course I did ma!"

"Just making sure!"

There was no way that she could ever be able to thank him enough. What do you get the man who has everything?

_Something money can't buy._

A gift idea suddenly made its way into her head and as soon as she got home she would pull out her laptop and get started. But first she knew there was one thing she could do for him. She quickly fished her phone out of her pocket and pulled Cheyenne onto her lap. "Chey honey, there's a very special man who bought this house for us to live in as a gift. And what do we say to people when they give us a gift?"

"We say thank you."

"That's right. So I'm going to call him right now and when I put you on the phone I want you to say 'thank you for the house'. Will you do that?"

Chey nodded. She loved talking on her mom's phone.

"Okay sweetie."

The call was answered after two rings.

"Hey Mercedes!" There he was, saying her name like _that_ again.

"Hi Sam. We're at the house."

"Do you like it?" There was a worried edge to his tone.

"We love it!"

She could practically hear him smile down the other end of the phone. "I'm glad. I got a good feeling as soon as I saw it."

"Yeah, well I just wanted to say thanks again, and there's someone here who also wants to say something to you."

She handed the phone to Chey who suddenly had an uncharacteristic attack of phone shyness. A gentle prod finally got her to speak. "Thankyou for the house" she said softly before squirming at her mom's reward of a kiss.

Mercedes put the phone back to her ear and heard total silence. "Are you there Sam? Did you hear her?"

"Y-yeah!" Sam's voice sounded slightly muffled and there was another pause. "Tell her that she's welcome."

"I will."

"Urm, well I'd better go. See you at the weekend right?"

"Yep. I'll text you later."

Sam was the first to hang up and Mercedes sat for a moment, amazed at the amount of emotion that was in his voice. Cheyenne scrambled up off her lap and Dionne reached down to help pull her up. "You did good." She whispered as she gave her daughter a side hug. Then returning to her normal voice she held up the pile of catalogs. "Now I don't see no Ikea catalogs here. You'd better look and learn missy!"

Mercedes took one and flicked through its pages. Some of the prices made the store in the mall look like a thrift store.

_But you can afford it now!_

"Mommy, I'm hungry!"

She looked down at her daughter. Of course she was. They'd normally be eating at this time if they were at home. So much had happened today that it had totally thrown her routine.

"Can we have McDonalds?"

Poised to give her automatic 'no' she actually thought about it. Today was a day for celebration. For Chey to celebrate. And for Chey, a trip to McDonalds _was _a cause for celebration. "You know what. You've been a good girl while I dragged you around this house so yes, after we've checked out the yard we will go get you a Happy Meal."

She grabbed the excited girl's hand and headed for the back door, ignoring the side-eye from Dionne.

Well, the gym hadn't been built _yet…_

* * *

Mercedes awoke on Thursday morning with a new lease of life. She had expected to wake up groggy after spending half the night going through files on her computer and working on Sam's gift. After spending an age putting together everything that she planned to use she then realized that there was not enough time for to have it made up before Sam arrived on Saturday. It was only as she drifted off to sleep that she remembered 'money talked' and a desperate 'damsel in distress' sounding call together with an offer of a thousand dollars had the small store owner offering to personally put together the gift himself and open an hour early on Saturday for her to collect it after she had emailed him the necessary files and discussed with him exactly what she wanted before compromising on what was physically possible in such a short time frame.

Cheyenne was perfectly behaved, still on her fast food high and even work was less of a drag in the morning than usual. It went by like a breeze and her employer allowed her to take the following week off, leaving her free to be around for the multitude of people who would be working in her home as well as to be around for the endless deliveries that would be arriving. The afternoon she spent mostly on the phone organizing interior designers and decorators.

Friday morning was spent in the new house with the interior designer and they were so intent on their work that she nearly forgot her lunch date with Quinn.

"I thought all this shopping would be fun Q, but it's really hard work!"

The blond frowned. "Shopping and hard work in the same sentence? I'm starting to think that all this good fortune's gone to the wrong person!"

Mercedes laughed as she refused to feel guilty over the second burger she was having in three days. She was planning to contact so she was planning to make the most out of each 'final supper' she could get.

One room which had stumped her was the gym. It's not as if it needed decorating per se, but the variety of exercise equipment for purchase was mind boggling and she had no idea where to even start.

That's where Blaine Anderson came in. He came highly recommended by a couple of the trim kindergarten moms and had availability in his schedule. As well as hiring him to work as her trainer, she also invited him over to advise on her gym, helping her select the correct equipment that would be most suited to her.

Blaine was very easy on the eyes with curly hair verging on an afro, sparkling eyes and a smile that was more infectious than ebola. As well as being a personal trainer he was also a semi-professional classically trained dancer which made perfect sense and she struggled not to envision his perfectly toned self in fitted dancewear. They talked about what she wanted to get out of her fitness regime, what body areas she wanted to target and how to build up her stamina. He then recommended various pieces of equipment and suggested certain sellers that would be able to get them to her quickly.

He even helped her to devise and eating plan. She agreed with most of it but nothing was going to stop her from getting her fix of peanut butter so they just had to work around that.

It was going to be hard getting up at 6am each morning, but luckily the thought of seeing Blaine was definitely going to be making it worthwhile. And she still had two weeks before he would be getting his lovely strong looking hands on her, so until then she was still going to be getting her junk food on!

"It's funny how now that you have an incredibly rich good looking man in your life, you're suddenly starting to pay attention to yourself again!"

Mercedes smiled and shook her head at her friend. "Nice try. But I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Sam has a girlfriend. He's looking for a relationship with his daughter not with me. Besides, I've been meaning to do this since I got breathless chasing after Chey that time in the park. It was a bit of a wakeup call reminding me that I have to take care of myself for her sake."

"Yeah well I'm glad that you're doing it. You've been hiding your gorgeous self from the world for far too long now."

Mercedes scoffed. "Gorgeous self? Humph!" She took another bite of her burger. "Anyway, speaking of gorgeous selves, any updates on Mr McSexy Diner man? And how come he's never here when I'm eating?"

Quinn laughed. "His name is Noah and it's his daughter who likes it here although he is yet another one of those guys who's fallen victim to the deliciousness of Al's burgers."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow expectantly. "And…"

"And what?"

"And when are you seeing him again?"

Quinn mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I said Sunday!"

"Oooh. This is starting to sound like the beginnings of something!"

"It's just a movie. In the middle of the day. Don't get your panties all bunched, it's not a date or anything."

"Yet…" Said Mercedes smugly as she pinched a fry off her friend's plate. "But it will be before long. Remind me to take you date shopping sometime soon. I suddenly find myself with lots of cash to blow and I have a certain best friend who has subbed me so many times that she's gonna get treated bigtime!"

* * *

Sam couldn't believe how emotional he got hearing his daughter's voice on the phone.

It was only when he got back to his office that he fully comprehended what had happened at their lunch meeting. He knew Mercedes was strong willed but damn she really was a fighter! Rather than totally annoy him, he had mostly liked it. Sure her repeated insistence was frustrating and he'd had to shut them down, but her reasonings were logical and only fair for someone who was a mother. And the fact that with everything, one of her greatest fears was seeming to be 'kept' by him impressed him the most. In his life he came across so many women who had no goal in life other than to be kept by somebody. But Mercedes wanted her independence and he knew she would want that for her child too.

The money was small, pitiful in fact. He didn't even feel amounts like that. But the fact that she had nearly choked at hearing them… He smiled at the memory of her spraying coffee. She was so normal and relaxed, not stuffy and pretentious. She actually ate the food put in front of her and actually joined him in his sweet tooth. Time after time he had to listen to Kirsten tell him that Wade's creations were no good for him. She would never order anything from the dessert menu in a restaurant even though it was his favorite part of the meal. She was a great girl, but sometimes he just wished that she would take a chill pill! And she always agreed with him all of the time. She never seemed to have her own opinion on things. Holly and Stevie were able to debate for hours but Kirstin hid from what she termed 'conflict'. And here was someone, a 'stranger' unafraid to speak out if she feels uncomfortable about something.

They had ended, yet again on good terms, but he had still been anxious to know what her reaction to the house would be. So when the call had come through he was actually feeling a little highly strung when he had answered.

But then to hear that little voice saying thank you for the house… it was damn lucky that nobody was in the office with him at the time because the fact that his eyes had welled and his voice had choked up was something that he was planning to take to the grave with him.

It was so weird. If he was a woman he would be able to blame it on being all hormonal or some shit like that. But for a man like Sam Evans to be so caught up with a little girl that he had barely glanced at twice and spoken to once, that was just something else!

It scared him. But in a good way. This was the growing up that Stevie had always been on at him to do even though he thought he had already been doing it. How did a girl, whose existence was completely unknown to him barely a month earlier, bring out all these feels in him? He was rich and powerful and was used to having people under his control yet the second a sleepy little girl had frowned disapprovingly at him, he had felt like the puniest human being on earth. Nothing he could do would ever be any good unless it served to make her smile.

Seeing her had made him feel more like a man than ever before and made him resolve to be a good one.

* * *

Mercedes had been good to her word about texting with a suggestion of when to meet and before he knew it, it was Saturday lunchtime and he was pulling up in the driveway of Cheyenne's new home. Mercedes had various people coming by to take measurements as well as providing samples of wall color, carpet, hardwood flooring and curtains, but for some reason she had decided to take the task of decorating of Chey's room completely onto herself. She thought it would be a nice idea if they worked together on it.

What could possibly go wrong with that?

There was a garage with room for two cars but as he didn't have any kind of a key to open it he left his in the drive. The neighborhood was safe enough here. With a couple of deep breaths he made his way to the door. He had dressed casually, a plain white teeshirt and jeans. It was only when he had driven halfway there that it occurred to him that white was not the ideal color to choose when there was the possibility of paint flying around but it wasn't as if he couldn't just trash the clothes when he was done.

She was only a little girl. _So why the hell was he feeling so nervous?_

Realizing how irrational it was to feel intimidated by a six year old girl he strode up the path and had just raised his hand to knock when the door was opened by Dionne with a face like thunder.

"Er… hi?" He hadn't expected her to be here but of course it made perfect sense. Looking behind her he muttered "Is she…?" Sam tried to maneuver himself around the woman but she actually placed her hand on his chest and gently stopped him, actually pushing him back out again.

"I wouldn't if I were you!"

"But I-"

Dionne pushed him over the threshold and pulled the door shut behind her.

"Look, I'm saving you for walking into a potentially explosive situation. The best thing you can do right now is to at least have some KFC in your hands when you walk in."

Ignoring his expression of utter confusion she walked towards his car.

Sam turned back towards the front door and contemplated attempting to knock again before cursing and following Dionne. This was making no sense. He needed a bit more information so that he at least knew what he was dealing with.

The older woman was standing with her hand on her hip staring at his sports car looking thoroughly unimpressed. "What's this?"

Despite himself he smiled. This was his favorite out of all his cars. "She's a 2012 Audi R8 coupe. Metallic silver with alloy wheels."

Dionne stood by the passenger door peering inside. "And where to you propose to put Chey's booster seat?"

Sam stopped in his tracks. This was a boy's car. It wasn't for transporting children! Hell, it only had two seats so he would never be able to take them out in it! "Next time I'll bring one of the town cars" he muttered, noting the loud _humph_ that was emitted when he mentioned the word 'next time'.

She was now pulling at the passenger handle, waiting for him to unlock the car and as Dionne was not a woman to be kept waiting, he quickly did it, despite still not quite understanding what was going on. "Where exactly are we going?" He felt like he was being kidnapped even though he was going to be driving and there wasn't a gun being held to his head.

"First home, then KFC." She sighed and rolled her eyes as if it should all be so obvious. Sam wanted to ask another question but the expression on her face told him that it would be in his best interests if he just kept his mouth shut for the time being.

It didn't take long to reach the house and they spent the entire drive in complete silence.

"Wait here."

She was gone before he could even reply. Looking at his watch, he noticed that he was now fifteen minutes late for the time that Mercedes had suggested. Had he done the right thing by going with Dionne or should he have at least let her know that he had arrived first? Before having the chance to complete his musings she was back.

Opening the door she threw something onto his lap. "You'll need this!" She said as she slid back into the car. "And the seats in this thing are too damned low!"

Sam looked down at the small golden teddybear that was now nestled in his lap. Had this been the cause of all the drama? It looked clean but well-loved and he stroked its fur gently.

"Quit playing with the toy! We need to get some food!"

"So tell me which way to go!"

Again they drove in complete silence with the exception of the odd direction and tut of disapproval at his speedometer until they reached a drive-thru KFC. It was something Sam hadn't eaten in years. Driving up to the microphone he was still scanning the menu when Dionne removed her belt and leaned over him to place the order without even asking what he wanted. She sounded like she was ordering food for an army. At the next window they collected the food and drinks and Sam handed the server a fifty and told her to keep the change as he pulled away. He watched as Dionne sighed audibly and rolled her eyes and he wondered if maybe he didn't leave a big enough tip.

The route back to the house was easier. He soon recognized where they were and it was thankfully only a short drive as the smell of the food was driving him crazy.

It was only as they climbed out of the car that he looked at his phone and saw the text from Mercedes asking where he was. It wasn't worth replying as he was right there, but he still decided to stand behind Dionne as she knocked the door. It took a while to be opened but they were met with her familiar voice. "Ma he didn't come-" She didn't finish the sentence because her jaw dropped as she watched him enter the house with her mother holding all the food and the bear.

Sam smiled at her shocked expression. "We brought KFC!" He said with the largest smile he could muster. Considering he'd already seen her angry on more than one occasion, her mood didn't seem that bad.

"Um. Thanks!" Her eyes were wide and she looked a mess. Her hair was covered with a bandana and she was wearing what looked like a very old black teeshirt with a pair of very unflattering dark blue sweatpants. Most of her clothing was splattered with green paint and there was a child sized green handprint on her thigh and her belly.

"Er… hi!" She smiled self-consciously and nervously removed the bandana from her hair. "You came."

"Yeah. We sort of did a little detour to pick up some bits but there was no way that I was going to miss this!"

"Well you'd better come through." She led them up the stairs but he heard a young voice giggling in one of the downstairs rooms. "I suppose mom told you about this morning's drama."

"No, not really. She hinted that there was going on, but didn't really specify."

He watched as Mercedes did an identical eye roll to her mother's. "We were supposed to paint this morning, but a certain little diva decided she didn't like the color she chose after all and caused all sorts of drama."

Sam looked around the room. There was one wall which was half painted, one wall with several small handprints and lots and lots of what appeared to be flicked paint.

"And the handprints on you?"

She smiled. "From the cuddles when we made up. But you have no idea how welcome the sight of those brown bags of chicken are at this moment. Thanks for that. It's exactly what I need right now. Let's go down and get Chey so we can eat."

Leading the way they headed back down the stairs. "_Chey?"_

Silence.

"_Cheyenne?_"

"Yes momma!"

There was the sound of small feet on wooden floors then Cheyenne appeared looking adorable in a pair of jeans and a pale pink shirt which was flecked with green paint.

"Baby! She's got paint in her hair!" Dionne did not sound pleased and Sam was relieved that for once the tone was not directed at him.

"I know. We both have to wash our hair later."

Mercedes held out her hand. "Sweetie, come here. There's someone I need you to meet."

Chey stayed exactly where she was, eyeing him suspiciously and muttering the words 'shouting man' over and over.

Sam cringed and Mercedes grinned. "You made quite an impression. She was going on about you for days."

"It's okay sweetheart. He's not going to shout. He already said sorry for that."

She took a couple of steps closer but the look of suspicion remained.

Sam hit upon a bright idea. Holding the little bear out to her he said "Look who I found!"

She took a couple more steps, looking first to her mom who made an encouraging face, then back to him. Her expression changed from '_who the fuck are you?' _to '_how the hell did you get my bear and what have you done to him?'_

"Cheyenne, this is my friend and his name is Sam. Are you going to be nice and say hello?"

Her expression softened at the description of him as her mom's friend but she still wasn't won over. He could see Mercedes starting to struggle and he began to feel bad. "Sam brought us some food and he's going to have lunch with us."

She looked at the KFC bags with a '_what kind of poison did you put in my food?' _expression.

Sam had no idea this was going to be so hard. For some reason he'd had this idea in his head that she was going to be wearing some cute little dress and she would fling herself into his arms and he would swing her around, giggling.

Clearly, just like her mother, she had trust issues.

He looked up at Dionne for help but she just stood with her arms folded and a huge smirk as if she were enjoying the whole scene unfold so he decided to go for a different approach. Crouching down to her height he offered his hand. "Hello. My name is Sam. I'm very pleased to meet you."

She thought about it for a few seconds, looked up for her mom's nod of approval then shook his hand. "My name is Cheyenne." She took the bear from him without a word and hugged it. "Teddy missed all the fun today and _you_ said a bad word."

"I said a bad word?"

The answer came from beside him. "Yeah you did. It wasn't til the next night when I was putting her to bed that she finally asked me what an _'ahem-_ing sonogram' is."

Sam reddened. Thinking back he did swear while he was ranting. He looked down at Cheyenne. "I'm sorry Cheyenne. It's not good to say bad words and I'm going to work really hard not to say bad words in the future."

"Okay." She looked back at the bags in his hand. "Is there popcorn chicken?"

He nodded, desperately hoping that he was correct as he hadn't even understood half the words in the order.

"So let's eat!" said Cheyenne simply.

"_The child has spoken!_"

All eyes turned to Dionne who had actually clapped as she said the words. She stared back at them. "What? I don't want no cold chicken!"

Mercedes shrugged. "It's true!"

She led the way through the kitchen to the yard. "There's running water in the kitchen sink to wash your hands and I put soap and a towel there already."

By the time Sam had washed up and joined them, the three were sat on a blanket on the grass. "I'm sorry but there's nothing in the house for us to sit on yet, and it's actually really nice out today." She patted a spot next to her and he sat while Dionne rummaged through the bags. "They'd better have remembered to put plates in here because if they- ok here they are. And a spare one for the bones!" For the first time Sam saw her looking impressed. "These people know what they're doing!"

"I'm sorry that today hasn't turned out the way that I had planned." Mercedes sounded apologetic.

"That's okay. I'm just glad I could be here." He was watching intently as Cheyenne 'fed' her bear pieces of bread from her burger and told him in detail what she had been doing with her day.

As the little girl seemed to be quite content in her own little world, he decided to try and make conversation with Mercedes. "So how are you getting on with kitting out the house?"

"It's hard work. I never knew just how hard. Using interior designers has been a massive help. I just don't know how people do this kind of thing on their own. The kitchen has been designed and the fitters did the measurements this morning. The color schemes have been chosen including the room of little miss drama queen who had insisted on green until it hit the walls when she then decided she wanted pink which is what I knew she wanted all along in the first place. Because _nobody_ really wants a bedroom that's 'green like Shrek' however much they cry and insist on it. Flooring will be carpet apart from the reception rooms which will be hard wood. So all I have left is some of the soft furnishings, and to be honest, I want to see each room with the walls painted and the main furniture in before I make those decisions. It's a bit overwhelming, especially if I'm going to move in by next weekend."

"Wow. I hadn't realized I'd put so much on you. I mean, you can always move in later if you want."

"No. No I like having the deadline. And I've taken the week off to be around for deliveries and get things done so it doesn't make sense to prolong things." She turned and watched her daughter take yet another sip from her drink. "Chey baby, no more soda. You have to finish your food first."

Mercedes looked back to Sam. "She doesn't have soda at home so when she gets it she's so excited she drinks it all and doesn't eat her food. Then we get stuck with an uncontrollable sugar high rapidly followed by constant moaning about being hungry."

"Motherhood sounds like it's lots of fun!"

"Fun isn't the word I'd use all the time, but I can assure you there's never a dull minute."

"Chey honey, why don't you tell Sam what you're going to put in your new room."

She looked up at Sam. After having passed the stage of suspicion she was now simply tolerating his presence. Clearly annoyed at being interrupted from her riveting conversation with her bear she turned to fully face Sam. "I'm going to have a beanbag."

"Wow! Um, that's great."

His lack of enthusiasm did not go down well. He had a lot to learn.

"It's a really big bean bag. And when you lie on it and wriggle you fall into the middle and it's really cozy."

"I like beanbags too!"

This answer went down far better and he watched her eyes light up. "Really?"

"Yeah. I like them coz they're squishy."

Now she was smiling and he felt so proud of himself. "I like them coz they're squishy too!" She picked a piece of popcorn chicken and popped it into her mouth thoughtfully. "I like you. You have pretty eyes."

"Thankyou. And you have pretty eyes too. And pretty hair."

"We got paint in my hair." She knelt forward and showed him the flecks of green in her ponytail.

He made a big show of looking at them.

"Why do you have green eyes?" How the hell was he supposed to answer that? He looked over at Mercedes who simply smiled and shrugged. So he was going to get a baptism of fire? This child was six! How hard could this be?

"I have green eyes like my mommy. You have brown eyes like your mom."

Luckily the answer seemed to satisfy because a twinge of sadness suddenly passed over him, as he remembered that it was only a few weeks to the anniversary of the death of his mom.

"Are you mommy's boyfriend?"

Well _that _question broke him from his momentary lapse in concentration. Mercedes covered her smile with her hand and Dionne let out a noise somewhere between a cough and a sneeze. The first sound she'd made since they'd been outside. Sam turned red and knew he was going to receive no help with this question either.

"Er, no."

"But is mommy your girlfriend?"

_Maybe he hadn't been clear enough with his first answer. _"No. Your mommy is not my girlfriend. I already have somebody as my girlfriend."

She shot him a look of suspicious disapproval. "So why are you sitting next to mommy? Duane sits next to Emma at lunch because he is her boyfriend."

Sam felt like he had been caught in some kind of a trap but both women were refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Ummm… Just because you sit next to someone doesn't mean that they're your boyfriend."

"But what if they hold hands?"

_Damn this was getting complicated! _"Well if they hold hands then maybe. Does Duane hold hands with your friend Emma?"

Cheyenne nodded. "And sometimes he holds hands with other girls too. But I don't like him because I don't like boys."

Sam looked at her seriously. "That's good. You need to stay away from boys until you are much much _much_ older."

"Why?"

This time Mercedes failed to contain her giggle and Sam felt like he was being ambushed. "Because some boys…" How could he put this delicately? "Some boys don't play as nicely with girls as girls do when they're together!"

Mercedes started to choke and took a swig from her drink.

Chey was looking up at him, fascinated but clearly confused. _Time for damage limitation! _He picked up the abandoned and forgotten bear from the blanket. "So what's your bear's name?"

"Teddy."

"I know he's a teddy but what's his _name_?"

Mercedes leaned over and whispered in his ear "His name _is _Teddy."

Of course it was! Highly unoriginal but highly logical for a child. Outfoxed by a six year old yet again! Sam was suddenly not very sure how many of these lunches he would be able to take. Defeated, he leaned over and looked inside the bucket. "Is there anymore chicken left?"

"Mommy doesn't have a boyfriend." The little girl clearly wasn't finished but this time it was someone else taking the heat.

"Cheyenne!" Mercedes shot her a stern look. "You still haven't finished your burger yet!"

The little girl settled back to the place she was sitting before. "Grandma has a boyfriend but mommy doesn't."

"That's enough now!"

Sam smiled and stared at the embarrassed Mercedes out of the corner of his eye. Oh how the tables had turned! Luckily her mother's tone was enough to get her to end her line of thought and questioning and they descended into silence for a few moments. "So Chey, tell me about your friend Emma."

The little girl smiled and told him _all _about her red haired friend.

That girl could _talk! _Sam didn't even know six year olds had that much vocabulary! They ended up sat outside together for the longest time until he looked at his watch and realized it was nearly time to leave. "I need to get going" said Sam reluctantly. "I have… a date… tonight."

"That's fine. We need to get going soon too. Artie will be picking us up so I need to tidy up."

Dionne excused herself while Sam and Mercedes cleared the remnants of lunch, tidying them into the bags that they came in. As he followed her into the kitchen he asked "Your mom doesn't like me does she?"

"What makes you say that?"

"First she called me up and ripped me to shreds for the way I spoke to you when I first found you."

"Which she was right to do."

"Okay, so she was right that time" he acknowledged. "But today, oh my god you should have seen her. She hates my car, she judged my driving, we drove all the way to her place, then to KFC, then back here and she didn't speak to me at all other than to give me directions."

Mercedes shrugged. "Then she likes you."

"How do you work that one out?"

"Because if she didn't you would not have heard the end of it! You know how she speaks her mind."

"That's true. So why the silence?"

Mercedes smiled her doe eyed smile. "Because she doesn't want you to know that she likes you."

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't want you to stop thinking she's scary."

"Oh there's no problem there. I will _always_ think that she is scary. She had me racing over to bang your door down to apologize after one five minute conversation. I only know one other woman who can put that kind of fear into me and thankfully I've managed to stay on Tina's good side too."

The conversation lulled into silence before he broke it again. "So we're okay to do something like this again next week?"

"Sure. I'll text you where we'll be. Hopefully here with some furniture and some cutlery!"

"Here's hoping." He glanced at his watch again. It was definitely time to go.

Mercedes touched his arm softly. "Wait one second. I have something for you."

She disappeared for a moment and reappeared with an exquisitely wrapped gift. It looked a lot like a hard backed book. "This is for you" She said, handing it to him.

He accepted it reluctantly. "You didn't have to-"

"You've given me so much Sam. More than I would ever be able to thank you for. I wanted to give you something in return."

He went to start opening it but she placed her hand over his. "Not here. Save it until you get home. Please."

"Okay." He would try but there was no way he could make any promises.

"I'll call Chey down so you can say goodbye."

They made their way to the front door and Mercedes called the little girl from wherever she had disappeared to.

"Sam is going now. Are you going to say goodbye to him?"

She trotted over and looked up at him. Sam had hoped she would give him a hug but instead she offered her hand like he had earlier. "Goodbye mister Sam."

"Goodbye Cheyenne."

She turned to walk away but then turned back to address him again. "Why did you come?"

"I came to have lunch."

"But why?"

"Because I'm your mom's friend and I want to be your friend too."

She looked up at him thoughtfully and seemed pleased with the answer. "Are you going to come again?"

"Yes. I'll come next weekend."

She smiled. "Good. I'd like that." Then she turned and returned to whatever she was doing in one of the empty rooms.

And in that moment she made him an exceptionally happy man.

Dionne appeared at the top of the stairs to wave him off and he waved back up at her. "Thanks Mrs C!"

Mercedes was harder to say goodbye to. A handshake was too formal but they definitely weren't at the stage of hugging. They left it with an awkward "I'll see you then." And he walked to his car and got in.

It had happened! It had finally happened! Cheyenne didn't hate him and he didn't argue with Mercedes! Other than a couple of painful questions it had gone exceptionally well after such a shaky start. And she even gave him a gift! He looked over at the present currently sitting of the passenger seat. He had meant to open it as soon as he had been out of sight of the house but realizing the time he knew he had to get a move on.

Nearly an hour later he arrived at his apartment he sat on his bed. _What the hell could it be?_

Ripping open the paper he discovered he was right, it was a book. It looked to be hand bound with a leather cover. He flicked the pages and realized it was a photo book. The front cover was embossed with the words 'For My Daddy'.

Opening it up, the first page was blank, but in a felt tip pen in a very childish scrawl were the words 'I am Cheyenne'. She had obviously written it herself and the letters were so big that she'd had to write the final two letters of her name underneath the rest of it. Knowing that this was going to be something amazing he took a deep breath before turning the first page. It was a sonogram picture. It took a few moments but as he focused he was able to start making out the head and limbs. Sam started to choke up, wondering if this was a copy of the sonogram that he never got to see.

Turning the page he saw the picture of a tiny girl in an incubator clutching at a finger with the words 'I am a child of Destiny. I'm a survivor!" He remembered how Mercedes had said she was born early but he hadn't realized just how small she had been. With a beginning like that it was no wonder that Mercedes was as protective of her as she had been.

The next picture was of her looking dwarfed by a car seat with the caption 'Coming home at last!"

Then the pictures moved faster, first bath, first curl, first tooth, first steps. There were various cute pictures of her as she aged dressed up in different places. The final picture was a full page of the one she had given him at Unique's of her at her birthday party.

Sam sat on the end of his bed and pretended that he wasn't struggling to hold back his emotions.

Because for a man that had everything, he had just been given the best gift ever!


	11. Karts, Cars and Birthdays

Sam's week dragged. There were endless meetings and investors to appease. One of their main suppliers for their hotel branded products was threatening to go into liquidation and Sam was wondering if it made sense just to buy the company and launch their own cosmetic range.

The highlight had been Monday morning. He had rushed into Stevie's office with a confident smile holding out the leather bound book to his brother who sighed and put on his glasses for a closer look. As he flicked through the pages, Sam gave a running commentary. "You should have heard her, once she starts she does _not_ stop talking. And her voice is so cute. Mostly it's just inane chatter but you should hear the way she does it. It's so serious and intense like she's having a deep and meaningful with somebody."

Stevie finished flicking through then went back to the earlier pictures of Chey when she was very small. "It must have been really hard for her mom at the beginning."

"Yeah. She'd said something about her being born early but I didn't realize just how serious it was... But right now she's perfect. There's not a thing wrong with her now other than a bit of her mother's attitude."

"So you're getting on better with her mom then?"

"Yeah. She's just spirited but that's not exactly a bad thing. Besides, she made me _this_." Sam indicated towards the book. "It would have taken her time and effort to go through her pics to put this together. I respect her for that and truly appreciate it. It's her mom that scares the shit out of me, but I don't think that will ever change."

Stevie closed the book and handed it back with a sigh. "As long as you know what you're doing Sam."

"Of course I do! It's all working out fine just like I said it would."

"And when are you seeing her next?"

"Sunday."

"Sunday?"

"Have you forgotten that me and you are going to be out of town on Saturday? Once I explained, Mercedes said I could come Sunday. It seems she's going to be pretty flexible around my schedule."

"That's good. You know there's some weekends where you might not get the chance to visit?"

Sam scowled. "I'll work something out!"

"Just saying!" He picked up a file from his desk and started to flick through. "So when do the rest of us get to meet our niece?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know yet. I've overwhelmed them with a lot of new stuff at the moment so I think I'll let them adjust to one new family member before adding more."

"That's fair enough. But she knows about us and we know about her. It has to happen sometime."

"I know. And it will."

But until then, Sunday could not come fast enough for Sam.

* * *

The week passed equally as quickly for Mercedes but for different reasons. By Tuesday the house was in a state of complete chaos. There were people painting in three separate rooms at the same time, drilling and banging in the kitchen and upstairs bathroom as well as flooring being laid in the basement gym.

By Thursday the kitchen had been completed and all the carpet and flooring in the rest of the house had been laid. Friday saw the mass delivery of furniture items. Her driveway was a constant flow of delivery trucks bringing beds, tables, chairs, couches, closets and stuff she didn't even remember ordering.

Her only reprise had been for a couple of hours during the week when she had coffee with a couple of the other kindergarten moms. As they had chatted animatedly about their lives, she debated telling them about hers before stopping short. What exactly would she be telling them? _I had a baby with a rich man and now I can outspend all your skinny little asses?_

It would be good. But she just couldn't do it. Besides, she didn't want the exposure. For the first time she really thought about who Chey's father was and how others would react. The school moms would go crazy and all want a piece of him. Sure they were a nice bunch for the odd coffee but they definitely weren't the kind of people she would go opening up to. Quinn was the only one outside of her immediate family who knew who the dad was and she knew that her bestie would keep the secret. All these ladies knew was that she was moving home, which wasn't a big surprise, bearing in mind she had been living with her mother. But there was no way that Mercedes would be able to handle being the center of attention when her changed circumstances came to light. Thankfully Cheyenne didn't understand enough to let it slip.

But Sam, nice a guy as he was actually turning out to be, would inevitably draw attention because of _who_ he was. And when that happened, it would draw attention to her. And the attention it would bring sure as hell wouldn't be positive.

No. She wasn't going to be going around shouting about this anytime soon and she hoped that Sam would feel the same until she worked out how to deal with it.

"Mercedes? Are you still with us?" She was brought back to the table by the voice of Tania, one of the moms. One of her favorites actually. She had three kids of her own and Mercedes had no idea how she did it, but it only took a sharp stare from her to get all three of them to behave. Chey would avoid eye contact when she was being naughty so that sure as hell was never going to work!

"Yeah I'm good." She looked at her watch. "Actually I think I need to start heading back. Mom's picking up Chey because I have to wait in for a couple more deliveries."

"Oh yeah. I hate that!" Tania nodded her head in sympathy. "It must be great to have your own place at last."

"Better than you could ever imagine!" Mercedes smiled.

* * *

"Mom? Have you seen those candles Quinn gave me?" Mercedes called.

There was a pause from upstairs before Dionne's voice rang down. "You packed them yesterday. They're in the third box!"

"Okay!"

Mercedes' head was spinning. All this running around, packing, decorating and shopping was taking it's toll.

"You look like you need a break." Artie looked up at her from the couch where he had been unhelpfully sitting watching TV for the last three hours.

"I'm okay."

He shook his head, patted his knee and waggled his fingers at her. "Sit yo self down and let Uncle Artie get to takin' care!"

With a faint smile she sighed and made her way over, sitting on the floor in front of him and nestling her back between his knees the way Chey did when she did her hair. She immediately bent her head forward and Artie began working out the knots in her neck and shoulders.

"This couldn't have happened to a better person, you know." His voice was back to normal as well as soft and sincere.

Mercedes made a snort of skepticism but he continued. "Seriously. You deserve a lucky break and now you've had an amazing one. Enjoy it. You deserve it."

"Not exactly sure what you mean by deserve it. This all came about because of me having a one night stand! Not exactly something to be proud of!"

"You know exactly what I mean. You've fought for years to look after yourself and to look after Chey. Nobody can deny that. Sit back and at least try to enjoy good things for a change."

Mercedes flinched as he touched a particularly tight knot and he released it carefully. "Damn you have good hands!"

"That's what your mom says!"

"Eeeew! TMI!" _Why did he keep doing this to her?_

"What? You know it's true!"

"So do you reckon you'll move in now that I'm out?" Mercedes was quick to change the subject.

Artie bit his lip. It was pretty much a done deal anyway. "If she'll have me."

"Of course she will. She loves you. We all do. Plus you practically live here anyway. There's no point in you keeping hold of that apartment."

"I suppose not."

"And best of all. You guys don't have to keep pretending that you're not at it like rabbits whenever my back is turned!"

"We're not-"

Mercedes turned to face him with one eyebrow raised.

"Okay. So maybe she did promise that when you're gone, and only when you're gone, we can start making use of this couch."

"This couch?" She felt that she was going to regret those two words the instant they flew out of her mouth.

"Everybody knows that Artie puts it down!" All of a sudden his 'pimp' voice was back in action. "If Dionne can barely walk when we get it on after I've lost half my energy climbing those damn stairs, she's gonna need physical therapy to recover from what I'll be putting on her down here! Yeah baby!"

That statement was just too much to handle. Artie's lack of a filter was causing her lunch to start finding it's own way back up. "Ugh" I am _never_ going to sit on this couch again after I've moved!"

"Don't worry. Your mom's a neat freak. She'll be wiping it down as soon as she gets her strength back!"

"Artie!"

He shrugged. "What? Just telling it like-"

"Don't _tell _anything. Just- just shut up! And left a bit… no, a bit more! _That's it!_"

"You wait til you get youself a man. If he makes it past my rigorous interrogation we can start comparing notes."

"_Never!_"

"I'm serious. You're still young enough to make a good go of your life. Meet somebody, have more kids. Be happy. Not necessarily in that order because we both know 'be happy' comes before anything else."

"Yeah. Well I'm busy with the house right now. So one thing at a time eh."

"I guess so."

They stayed in companionable silence for a moment before Chey walked into the room, and not wanting to feel left out, climbed onto the couch so that she could do her own attempt of a massage on Artie's shoulders.

Dionne followed suit, wondering where everyone was and stopped in the doorway for a moment, smiling at the beautiful scene before her.

* * *

Mercedes was relieved that Sam couldn't come on the Saturday. She'd designated it moving in day and it was complete chaos. By the time Quinn, Artie and her mom had left it was nearly midnight. By the time she had stopped fussing and shifting things round it was nearly 3am and she sank gratefully into her new bed, silently thanking the lord for her new mattress which she had initially thought too expensive, and now believed was worth every cent.

Sunday morning almost didn't happen. She remembered Chey being up far earlier than usual. She remembered dragging herself downstairs and scrabbling around fixing her some breakfast. Then she remembered setting up and allowing her to watch a DVD before staggering back under the covers.

Then came more sleep and the sound of Chey chattering about something or another in her ear before getting bored and being suspiciously quiet in her room.

"Mommy?"

Yet again Chey was disturbing her. "What is it?" Mercedes tried to mask the frustration in her voice. Maybe she should get her mom to take her for a few hours…

"Mommy there's somebody at the door."

"Huh?" She lifted her head from the pillow and looked at the time. 11:55.

_Shit! She'd told Sam to come at 12!_

This time she did hear the knock.

"Coming!" She yelled as she scrambled around the room looking for her sweats. Yet again he was going to be seeing her looking like shit. Flying down the stairs she saw Chey dancing in the hallway and attempting to speak to Sam through the letterbox. She was under the threat of the worst punishment imaginable if she was _ever_ to open the front door by herself, even if it was for somebody that she knew, so it was down to her to do the opening.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting!"

Damn he looked good. It made her feel even more like shit. He was back in jeans but this time with a pale green polo top.

He looked sexy.

And rich.

"Come on in!"

She watched as he stepped inside and stared around himself in wonder before she remembered that the last time he had seen this place it was and empty shell with white walls. Now the place was vibrant with color while still being tasteful, furnished without being overstuffed.

"Wow!"

"Yeah. Well it's taken a lot of work!"

He slipped of his shoes, putting them into the waiting show rack then took one of the many pairs of guest slippers on offer. She then showed him through to the lounge where he took a seat on the brand new leather couch. "This is really nice." He remarked.

"Thanks. I like it. Can I- Can I get you something to drink or something?"

"A coffee would be great thanks."

"Flat white okay?" She asked, remembering his order for Unique's.

"Whatever is fine."

"Well I have some huge contraption in the kitchen that does everything except grow the coffee beans so feel free to ask for whatever you like."

He grinned. "The flat white would be perfect thanks."

"Coming right up."

Mercedes headed to the kitchen, only to be followed by Cheyenne who, for all her playing outside the front door, had decided that now that Sam had actually come in she was going to be shy around him. "Chey. Why don't you show Sam what mommy bought for you yesterday."

The little girl squealed excitedly and disappeared while Mercedes took a moment to just stop and breathe. No offence, but she could have really done without Sam's visit today.

By the time she had fixed Sam's drink and re-entered the lounge, the two of them were poring over the Nintendo Wii box. Chey was chattering excitedly and Sam was reading the back of the box. He looked up at her as she placed the drink down out of harm's way.

"I looks like Christmas has come early for someone!"

"I know. Her friend Emma has one and she's been on at me for ages to get her one of her own. She will be set time limits on it though!"

"It's an awesome gift. But nothing compared to the one you got me!"

Mercedes looked away from his intense stare. "It was nothing."

"No. It was _everything. _I'll treasure it for the rest of my life."

They stood in a heavy silence for a second before Mercedes finally broke it. "Look. I'm really sorry. I overslept this morning and I'm still in a real state. How about I get Chey to take you on a tour to see what we've done with the house while I get freshened up?"

"All over the house?" Chey looked up expectantly and Mercedes shook her head. "You know the rules!"

Looking at Sam she said "Chey is not allowed in the basement or even to touch the basement door."

His eyebrow peaked. "What have you got hidden in there?"

She grinned. "Nothing suspicious. It's just my gym. But the stairs are really steep so it's out of bounds until further notice. I don't know that I would do if she fell down there and I didn't hear her."

"No problem. Gym is out of bounds. You can show me it later." He looked over to Chey. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and held out her hand for him to take so that she could lead him.

Sam broke into a huge smile and shot Mercedes an excited look that said _did you just see that? She's holding my hand!_

She simply smiled to herself as he followed her out of the room and when she reached half way up the stairs she turned and said "When you've done with the tour you can help by setting up the game. It took me ages last night just to get the DVD system working so I'm happy to leave it to you."

After her quick shower she lamented her lack of clothing. Her black slacks were in the wash and she had resolved not to start going clothes shopping until she had already lost a few pounds. Reluctantly pulling on yet another pair of sweats and cardigan she went back downstairs to see Sam teaching Chey how to play Mario Karts, his coffee untouched and forgotten.

Mercedes smiled as she watched her little girl's intent face as she concentrated on the console that she was holding and again enjoyed Sam's deep voice as he patiently told the little girl exactly what she needed to be doing.

After a few moments she decided to leave them to their bonding time and headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

It took actually re-opening the fridge door to realize that she hadn't yet done a proper shop. Sure she'd brought eggs, milk, cereal and bread as basic staples, and if it were just her and Chey that would have been fine, but she couldn't exactly give Sam toast for lunch! Worse still, she contemplated take out before remembering that last time he came they had fast food! She couldn't bear the idea of him thinking she was one of those lazy mothers who just fed their kids junk. She was actually very careful with what Chey was allowed to have. But yet again her body image let her down. Sweatpants and fast food. How the hell had she let herself turn into a stereotype?

She ruefully made her way back to the two who were now thick as thieves on the couch.

"I'm sorry Sam. I haven't had time to do proper shopping yet so I haven't got much food it to make lunch. Do you mind if we order in? Something healthy like Piri Piri Grilled Chicken?"

"Sure. No problem with me!"

"Piri Chicken!" Chey could barely contain herself. "Can I get the burg-"

"No Chey. You will have rice and salad with me and Sam."

"Pleaaease!"

"I said no!"

The eyes widened and the bottom lip wobbled. She could see Sam struggling and realized that this was going to be far harder than she first thought. "Sam, she's had more than her fair share of treats and burgers this week because we've been so busy. She needs to eat properly now then she can just have something small later. No more burgers!"

She saw Sam bite his lip and then do his best to avoid Chey's pitiful gaze. Yep. They were definitely going to have a problem.

Deciding to just ignore it she moved on with the conversation. "Sam. We're having grilled chicken. Do you want your seasoning medium, hot, extra hot or lemon and herb."

"I think I'll go for hot."

"Cool."

She turned and left to make her call before anything else could be said or done. Shit! Something told her that the combination of Sam and Chey was going to be as much of a force to be reckoned with as her mother!

After calling through the order she thought for a second before putting mats, plates and cutlery onto the dining table. If Sam wants a family dinner he can have one. She'd been working on Chey's table manners for a while now anyway and by the looks of it they might actually need dragging away from the huge screen that they had set up.

When she was done she returned and sat on the two-seater to enjoy watching father and daughter bonding over strange vehicles racing over what looked suspiciously like the rainbow Bifröst Bridge. Sam looked calm and relaxed and Mercedes was amazed at how much that relaxed her too. She could really see this working for now. How long it would last, she didn't know. But for now it was all good.

Thirty minutes later there was a knock at the door. As she stood up she didn't turn her head. "Okay. Time to wash your hands, we're eating in the other room."

By the time she had collected the food and tipped the delivery guy and returned they were still exactly as they were.

"Sam?"

He looked up at her and she could tell that one look at her face told him everything that he needed to know. Sam immediately paused the game, to a wail of dismay from Cheyenne and urged her to follow him to the kitchen to wash their hands. The training had begun!

Without a word she took the food into the dining room and set up on the table. She'd picked a round table that seated six, figuring that if necessary she could scootch people up to make it seat eight rather than get a rectangular six-seater that would be restricted to literally six.

It was tempting to let Sam sit next to Chey and it was definitely what she wanted but Mercedes knew it was in her best interests to sit next to her daughter to make sure she ate properly. And the meal went well. Chey had initially griped about the lack of a burger before taking second helpings of rice and insisting on eating all of the tomatoes and cucumber from the salad. Sam seemed to really enjoy the chicken and didn't seem at all flustered by the heat of it. And between mouthfuls and being told not to speak with her mouth full, Chey regaled them with tales of Mario Kart to the point where Mercedes promised that she would give it a go after the meal.

She didn't know why she bothered. It was impossible to keep her vehicle on that stupid road. Sam tried valiantly to help her but nothing seemed to work. In three player mode, Chey beat them both easily.

It was actually starting to get dark when Sam said his reluctant goodbye and Chey was completely put out by his departure. Rather than her shy goodbye of the previous week, she was all hugs and kisses. And this time Mercedes got a hug and a special thanks too.

For a day that had started out crap, it turned out pretty well.

* * *

Wednesday came quickly and Mercedes wasn't ready. Who the hell was ready to be twenty nine? It was nothing but a big countdown to the big three zero!

Sadly life had other plans. After two days of being woken by Blaine Anderson for an hour long session in the basement gym to start the day she was going to get a lie in. Blaine was a damn attractive man and it did things to her when he held onto her hips to keep her spine straight while she did her exercises but after two sessions her body was feeling muscles which didn't exist in any medical textbook. There had better be some serious gain for all this pain!

By six thirty and hope of a lie-in was ruined. Quinn was on the phone singing happy birthday. By seven Chey was jumping up and down like she'd been drinking sugary soda all through the night. Seven forty five her mom was on the phone wishing her a happy birthday and half way through the call her door went. What the hell? Who would be knocking at this still unearthly hour?

As she reached the door, she picked up a small envelope from the doormat which looked like it had been hand delivered.

Opening the door she saw that it was a delivery of flowers. A huge bouquet of assorted long stemmed flowers. They even smelled wonderful. Bringing them inside she pulled out the card.

_Happy birthday Mercedes! Hope you enjoy your gift._

_Sam_

Of course she loved the gift. What girl didn't like getting flowers?

And then she remembered. The envelope from the doorstep was still in her hand. Quickly opening it she saw a key and a small sleek black remote control.

A car key.

What the hell had Sam Evans done now?

Thinking back to when she opened the door, there had been a shadow on the driveway. She'd thought nothing of it, assuming it was connected to her flower delivery but now she rushed back to check again.

There was a car on her drive.

A brand new Ford Focus in deep red.

And discreetly attached to the nearest rearview mirror was a purple ribbon bow and a card which read 'Happy Birthday'.

Picking up the card she turned it over and saw Sam's scrawled writing on the back. _Because I can't have my girls taking the bus._

She didn't know how to react. Yes getting a car was on her list of things to do, but she just hadn't got round to it yet!

"Mommy?"

Chey was at the front door, still in her robe. "Get back inside Chey!" The little girl took one step back over the threshold but continued to watch her as she pressed the fob to release the central locking and opened the driver's door. Instantly she was surrounded by the delicious 'new car' smell. Feeling overwhelmed she quickly closed the door, locked the car and returned to her daughter.

"Mommy who does the car belong to?"

"I think it's mine honey. Now sit down and eat your toast. Mommy needs to make a phone call."

He answered after one ring. And yet again there was a smirk in his voice. "Happy birthday Mercedes!"

_Damn that sounded sexy!_

"Sam, you can't just-"

"You're welcome Mercedes."

That stopped her short. She was about to launch into the man and she didn't even thank him. How much of a bitch was she! After releasing a small sigh she started again.

"Thanks Sam. I really like the car. But you really didn't have to-"

"I know I didn't. But I wanted to."

"I was going to get one of my own eventually."

"And now you don't have to."

"Sam I-"

"Listen Mercedes. I wanted to do something nice for you. I had a really good time on Saturday. Plus, I wasn't lying when I said you guys shouldn't be having to take the bus."

"You've already given me so much-"

"Would it help if I said it wasn't really for you? Would it help if I said that it was an indirect gift for Chey? You know that the house is farther away from the bus stops. And you need your independence. Now you can take Chey out at a moment's notice."

"I know Sam. But this just feels… a bit…"

"A bit what Mercedes."

"A bit like you're taking things from me."

There was a pause. "I don't understand. How does giving you things take things away from you?"

"Because it removes the choice from my hands. I've had to do so much by myself. It's really hard for me to accept somebody else doing it. I feel like it's taking away some of my control."

There was another pause. "I never wanted to make you feel like that Mercedes." His reply was soft and not what she expected. "I just thought it would be a motivation for you. I had initially thought to add a bunch off driving lessons to the gift but then I thought maybe you would want to handle those yourself. I did try. I'm sorry if it came over as me being an ass."

Mercedes bit her lip. Now she felt awful. "No Sam. _I'm sorry_. I shouldn't have launched into you like that when you were only trying to do something nice for me. And for what it's worth, it's a good thing that you didn't get the lessons because I can already drive and have my license. I just didn't have a vehicle. Sometimes Artie let me drive his. But, I guess… I really should know what you're like by now."

"It's okay. We're still trying to learn to get to know each other. I don't know you just like I don't know Chey. Sometimes I'll make mistakes but I'll learn. I promise."

"I'll try harder too." She smiled. "Anyway, you did get some things right."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Like the house. Mom says you should have bought me a mansion that looked like something out of MTV cribs but I_ love_ this house. It's perfect. I couldn't have chosen better myself. And the fact that you chose it personally says a lot about you. It's enough but not too much. I didn't want a show-house, I wanted a home and that's exactly what this is. And the car? Ford Focus. Practical. Normal. I won't stick out on the school run. It won't raise any questions. I guess I need to stop being so quick to jump down your throat."

"And I guess I need to stop being impulsive."

"Mommy! Can I-"

Mercedes looked down at her daughter who had materialized from nowhere and was tugging at her leg. "Chey! Mommy is on the phone!"

She heard Sam laugh in the background as Chey begged to know who it was. "It's Sam. Do you want to say hello?"

Chey nodded wildly.

"Okay Sam, Chey wants to say hi!"

She handed the phone to the little girl who jumped up and down excitedly. "Hi Sam. Did you sleep well?"

Mercedes grinned and shook her head. _Did you sleep well? What the hell kind of child asks that question? Only mine could!_

As Chey started to walk away with the phone she could hear her excitedly telling him that today was momma's birthday and there were lots of pretty flowers in the kitchen. She spoke animatedly for a couple of minutes and Mercedes was just about to take the phone from her when she handed it back. "Sam wants to say goodbye."

She grabbed the phone. "Sorry she chewed your ear off just then."

"No. I liked it. But I really do have to go right now. I hope you have lovely stuff planned for today and I'll see you at the weekend right?"

"Right."

She did have lovely stuff planned. After dropping Chey off at kindergarten she was going to get her hair done. A long straight weave like she used to have in college. She was also going to go shopping. She had since realized that there was no sense in holding off buying stuff until she had lost weight. She had more than enough money to buy things now. Even if she only wore them a couple of times she could then donate them to the local Goodwill and be of help to somebody else. Her lack of clothing was depressing and she was supposed to be working her way back to happy.

Mercedes had a low key birthday planned. Chey was going to be picked up by her mom so that she didn't have to rush her hair. Then she was going to be pampered with a massage, facial, manicure and pedicure. Dinner was going to be a meal out. Just a family affair with Chey, her mom and Artie. And even thought it was her birthday and they would protest, she _was _going to pay, because there was an amazing looking expensive Italian restaurant by her work which constantly walked past for the last couple of years, wishing she could try. And now, she could work through the entire menu if she wanted to. It was like being Pretty Woman, but with food.

Then Friday was going to be ladies night. Chey was staying at her mom's coz she'd be getting all dressed up for Quinn, cocktails and bitching about men! It had been too long since they'd gone out. Too long since Mercedes had really been out and had any kind of fun. Hell, she and Quinn would have to start the night with a slap-up meal to help absorb the alcohol.

Blaine Anderson was going to have to take the rest of the week off because there was going to be no diet happening this week!

By Saturday Mercedes was buzzed. Her birthday had rocked, and her Friday night had been awesome. She had splashed out on a body control LBD which had done wonders for her figure and her confidence. What was supposed to be just her and Quinn had grown slightly. Quinn had wanted to bring her new man Noah so Mercedes had invited George to make it a foursome. Unfortunately, to Quinn's bitter disappointment, Noah pulled out at the last minute, but George came through by bringing one of his work colleagues, some guy called Moe which instantly made her smile. Quinn was the only one who didn't laugh when he clarified that he wasn't one of five guys with the same name. Mercedes didn't really expect her to get it. They had laughed all the way through dinner (which the guys refused to let her pay as her birthday treat) then moved on to a bar for a night of laughs and conversation.

Mercedes was so glad that she kept in touch with George. It was refreshing to be around him. And his friend Mo was hot too. Apparently Moe Adams had been trouble in high school, but after hitting college and realizing that he was actually only a small fish in a big world he got his head down, graduated well and because a successful businessman. It also helped that although he was tall and broad, he was also very easy on the eye. The four of them had an awesome time and resolved to do it again soon. Moe had also made sure that he hadn't left without her number.

By the time she had crawled into bed, her hair unwrapped and only the worst of her make up hastily removed with a wipe, she was feeling happier than she had in a very long time.

Saturday had begun with a slight hangover and a panicked call from Sam. He couldn't come over after all as his brother was sick and he had to prepare to give a presentation at an afternoon function on his behalf. She had just started to feel disappointed when Sam suggested they meet at Unique's instead. He only had an hour to spare but was happy to detour en route to his presentation to meet them for something to eat.

Sam had offered to send a car but Mercedes opted to drive. She had taken the Focus out for a spin the day before with Artie and needed to build up her confidence in it.

A brand new booster seat and indulgent cheesy set of furry dice later and she was good to go.

Mercedes had hoped that there would be many more trips to Unique's. Seeing Chey's face light up at the ornate collection of Wade's beautiful edible creations was a joy. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open as she practically inhaled the sugar through the glass cabinet where the sweets were kept. Wade looked as thrilled to see her as Sam and even made her a special hot chocolate that wasn't too hot.

As he brought their treats to the table she finally had to ask. "Wade. Those shoes…"

He smiled at her knowingly. "All my own design. I sell them on Ebay and am thinking of putting a display of them in here too." He handed her his card before starting to head back.

"And the other thing I wanted to ask is how-"

Wade turned and smiled at her indulgently. "There's a lot to be said for keeping your spine straight while trying to walk with a book on your head."

Knowing that she understood exactly what he meant, he turned away again with a flourish.

Sam appeared looking downright ravishing in a tailored suit and slicked back hair.

"Sam!" Mercedes had to practically pull Chey back from flinging herself at him. Sam grinned and she couldn't help but notice how much easier he was with her today.

"Thanks for working around me today" he began "I really hope I haven't inconvenienced you too much."

"It's fine. We hadn't planned anything at all for today so it was nice for us to get out."

Sam smiled at her. "You've changed your hair. I like it!"

"Thanks." She smiled and couldn't really think of anything more to say to that. "And you're looking very smart!"

He smoothed the lapel on his jacket. "Yeah well the monkey suit comes with the territory. I'd rather be chilling in some casual clothes right now but today's not my day."

"We came in mommy's new car!"

"Wow!" He gave Chey an exaggerated wide eyed expression of surpise then turned to Mercedes. "You drove here?"

"Yeah. I thought I'd make an effort. Prove to you that I did appreciate your gift."

"You don't need to prove anything to me Mercedes."

"Yeah, well…" She looked down at her drink, still feeling like she had been a jerk to him and the one time she wouldn't have minded Chey interrupting with something, the little girl remained totally silent. She was still slightly in awe of everything around her.

"Thanks to you, this place always makes me think of twenty questions." Sam smiled into his drink.

"Really? This place always reminds me of that time this really nice guy gave me shedloads of money and all I could do was spray coffee all over him in shock!"

Sam laughed. "That was pretty funny. The best part was how Brittany just kept on talking as if nothing had even happened. Britts is a scream!"

"Yeah she is. So who is this Lord Tubbington guy that I couldn't ask about at the time?"

Sam smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "Actually, he's not a guy. Apparently he's a cat."

"I noticed she drew a cat on her pad. But I thought this Lord Tubbington was the one that suggested we take seven days to cool off and come up with ideas on how we can work this?"

Sam shrugged. "The less said about Lord T the better. All I know is that his suggestions are always great, and quirky as she is, Britts is a damned good lawyer. However unorthodox she may be, she's always successful and right on the money and as far as I'm concerned, that's good enough for me. So far she has never let me down."

"That's good to know if she's the one managing our affairs."

"I had a blue cake!" Chey announced proudly and both parents smiled at her indulgently.

In keeping with tradition, they did play their own little version of twenty questions, involving Chey into the conversation and after what felt like only a few minutes Sam reluctantly had to leave.

"Don't worry, there's always next weekend" she assured the father and daughter who held matching crestfallen expressions.

"About next weekend… I can't do this. I have to go to Tennessee."

"Oh. Okay." So far Sam seemed to have adjusted so that he could see his daughter but somehow this was something that could not be moved around.

"So I was thinking that maybe the following week we could do something special to make up for it? Maybe have a whole day out or something?"

Despite herself, Mercedes felt a disappointment at not being able to see Sam the following weekend. "Sure. I don't see why that should be a problem."

Sam brightened, but only very slightly, as if he was burdened with something. "That's great!"

Standing up, he leaned forward and kissed Chey's head before giving Mercedes one last smile.

"All the best for your presentation."

"Thanks."

He shot them both one last look, and with a final wave to Wade was gone.

* * *

_**I know it doesn't seem like much happened in this chapter but I needed to set a few things up. After slow begininngs, Samcedes finally get to have a real bonding session in the next chapter...**_


	12. Marley's Farm

**_I'm glad you're enjoying the way this story is going. This chapter is a tad more emotional._**

_**Enjoy x**_

* * *

Sam hated going to Tennessee. He hated it as a child and he still hated it as an adult. To him, Tennessee was associated soley with death.

Their home and their life was in New York. To go to Tennessee meant that somebody had died. There was grandma first, then grandpa. Then his other grandpa, Mary's dad, who did used to come and visit for the holidays and then their only uncle who they never really got to see anyway. Endless trips to Tennessee and always for funerals. They would come, sit quietly at the back of the church and pay their respects after everyone else had left.

Now there are no more funerals left to attend. It's become an anniversary visit the family plot. Just to check in with mom and dad. It was what they did to keep them grounded. To see the people who were responsible for their high flying lifestyles. They did the same each year, flowers, contemplation then eating a meal in the same restaurant with the same staff who always seemed that much older each time they visited.

There were no relatives left in Tennessee now. At least, none that they were close to or in contact with anyway. Sam's father had been treated badly and disowned for marrying his mother. They never did get the full story on that, suffice to say that she wasn't good enough for him and she hung out with the wrong 'kind' of people. But Dwight Evans had followed his heart and followed the course of true love, enjoying every minute of his marriage. And as he became a financial success, family members started appearing wanting a piece of him again, only to be reminded that they had told him that he was dead to them and nothing would be able to bring him back to life. They had turned their backs on him and took him a long while to fully appreciate that it was the best thing that could ever have happened. He didn't want to be associated with their prejudice and ignorance and he definitely didn't want to expose his children to it.

All that Tennessee held now was a plot of land where his parents lay. At their home. And every year their children went to pay their respects. They made this trip only once a year on the anniversary of their mother's death.

Sam had once been asked why they only went on his mother's anniversary and his simple reply was that it was also the day that his father had died. When he had lost her he lost his light. His children's faces reminded him to much of her so he hid in his work. He found a new home there. He gave it 110%. If he couldn't face his children to say that he loved them, the least he could do was work hard to leave them something.

What he never understood was that they didn't want his inheritance, his legacy. They wanted him. Even when he was still alive they grieved him like they grieved their mother.

For Stacy it was the hardest. She didn't remember her parents at all. Mary had died when she was only nine months old. Refusing all treatment she wanted nothing more than to just be able to hold her daughter and breast feed her without passing on any chemicals. Stevie and Dwight had begged and pleaded with her to go for treatment but she refused at every turn. On some level, Sam was the only one to really understand her reasoning. He had looked in her eyes one day and seen a calmness and acceptance that he knew could not be shaken.

Mary had spent every moment she cold holding and nursing her youngest child. And when she got too weak, Stacy would sit for hours playing with her toys on Mary's bed. Always in her sight and always in her presence until the bitter end.

After that her dad was always at work. She was practically brought up by Rosa, even though Stevie was technically her guardian.

These trips were hard for her too. Stevie and Sam were grieving what they had and they missed, while Stacy was grieving what she never had the opportunity to know and the effect that it had on her brothers.

As always, they laid flowers, held hands and just stood quietly with their thoughts, paying their respects. This year Holly stayed home due to her pregnancy. It was the first one she had ever missed.

Being a Saturday, they normally would have made a weekend of it, but this time, nobody wanted to hang around. Over Sunday breakfast it was decided. Stevie wanted to be back for Holly and Stacy wanted to be back at college before it was too late. She had an extra class in the morning.

Their private chartered flight left Tennessee at lunchtime and by mid-afternoon Sam was driving Stacy back to New Haven. She didn't feel like being alone and he needed to just get in his car and drive for a bit. They spent the journey with the windows down and the music loud, singing at the top of their lungs, making the most of their time together.

The emptiness didn't truly hit until she had hugged him goodbye and he returned to the car. He looked at his watch. Five thirty. And he still wasn't ready to go home. His apartment was a lot of things, funky, state of the art and exclusive. But one thing it wasn't was homely. He considered going to Kirsten's then remembered that she was visiting her sister. He had told her he would be away for the entire weekend and she had used the opportunity to go away herself. Not that she was what he wanted right now. Sure some sex would be good, _really good_ actually, but more than that he just needed a hug. He needed to feel less… mortal. Stevie had gone home to Holly. Stacy had her roommates. He had a 3D HD flatscreen TV or a visit to the gym. Even Puck would be with whoever his latest squeeze was at the moment. There were lots of people he could call, but none he actually wanted to be with. And his days of hanging out at the clubs were pretty much over too.

It irked him that he had missed his opportunity to see Chey this weekend. If anything could lift his spirit, his little girl and her mindless chatter could. He looked at his watch again. Even if he could go there she would probably be asleep. Kids go to bed early don't they? He felt stupid for not knowing.

Before he knew it his phone was in his hand and there was a soft voice in his ear.

"Hello?"

"Er, hi Mercedes."

"Hi."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

"Look, I was wondering if…" He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"…yeah…?"

"I got home earlier than expected and I was just wondering… She's probably asleep but…"

"Did you want to pop by Sam?"

"Can I?" It was too late to mask the excitement in his voice at the thought of seeing her. One hug from Chey would do him the world of good right now.

"Of course it's fine. Are you near? We've just finished eating."

"No. I'm in New Haven but can come straight over."

He could hear Mercedes checking the time. "Well, she usually has her bath around seven and starts her bedtime routine after that. Maybe I can tell her you're coming to read her a story before she sleeps? She'd like that."

Sam felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Okay I'm leaving right now!"

He made it to the house in an hour and twenty. There had to be some perks to driving a nifty little sports car!

Mercedes opened the door and he couldn't help noticing her look critically at his slightly disheveled appearance. "Come in."

It was only as he changed from shoes to slippers that he realized how long a day he'd had and how tired he must look. Going to Tennessee always took its toll and today it had felt even heavier. That being said, there was something about being here, a warm house with a little girl and woman with an obsession with horrifically unflattering sweatpants (gray today) that instantly warmed him on the inside.

Sam moved through and took a seat on the lounge.

"I'm actually glad that you could come-"

"Sam!"

He heard little steps on the stairs and Mercedes instantly looked livid. She shot him a look that told him to stay exactly where he was as she stormed out of the room.

"CHEYENNE RILEY JONES! GET INTO THE BATH THIS INSTANT OR I WILL COME UP AND PUT YOU IN IT MYSELF! AND YOU _KNOW_ THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO MAKE ME DO THAT!"

There was the sound of rapidly retreating steps and Mercedes returned looking frustrated. "I wish I hadn't told her that you were coming. She's been running me ragged for the last hour. I ran that bath five minutes ago and she still hasn't got in yet." She perched on the edge of the couch and looked at him searchingly. "Is everything okay Sam?"

"Yeah. I just- I just thought I would be away longer than I actually was and I really missed not being able to see Chey this weekend."

"Okay…" Her face said she didn't believe him but he didn't really want to expand. "Well. I hate to say this but you look pretty wrecked. Can I get you something? A coffee? If you've just been travelling have you eaten? There's still some lasagna left. I can fix you a plate?"

Sam was all set to say no when his stomach growled the answer for him. He hadn't eaten since before the flight and even then he hadn't been particularly hungry.

She smiled. "One plate of lasagna coming up!"

Minutes later she returned with a tray carrying a plate bearing a huge slab of homemade lasagna with a dressed salad on the side, a glass of juice and a fork. "Here you go."

He accepted the tray gratefully. "Thanks. This looks lovely. Are you going to eat something too?"

She shook her head. "I had some with Chey earlier. I don't eat after six now." She handed him the TV remote. "Watch whatever you like. I have to go check on Chey and finish her bath." He watched her leave then tasted a forkful of the lasagna. Damn it was good! Rosa made great lasagna but this was right up there with it. Different, but no less delicious. And whatever dressing was on the salad was zingy and rocked his world.

Fifteen minutes later he had finished the food, returned the tray to the kitchen and had just found an episode of Scrubs that had just started when the sound of small feet rushing down the stairs hit his ears.

"Sam!"

He didn't even get the chance to stand before a little girl in yellow pajamas flew onto his lap and flung her arms around his neck. He could see Mercedes walk in after her watching his shocked reaction with amuzement before finally connecting the dots in his brain and hugging her back.

He didn't realize just how much he needed this hug. She smelled of baby lotion and toothpaste and clung to him like a leech.

Mercedes just smiled and shook her head at them. "I don't know what you've done to her, but somehow you've become her favorite person. She likes you far more than she likes me at the moment." Sam overcame his emotions and put on a charming grin. "That's because my little girl has great taste!"

"Hey! Don't flatter yourself!"

"Have you been a good girl Cheyenne?"

Chey made a sound and nodded against his neck but Mercedes clearly disagreed.

She finally pulled back and looked at him with her huge eyes. "Are we going to play Mario Karts?"

"Chey…" Mercedes had narrowed her eyes and her voice had taken on a warning tone.

"Or a story would be good too!" She was quick to add.

"I think the story would be the best option baby" Sam said softly, not wanting to cause any trouble or interfere too much with her routine.

"Yay!" Chey quickly crawled off his lap, leaving him feeling suddenly cold before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door. Grabbing her mom's hand she practically dragged the two of them up the stairs to her room where she literally bounced into her bed and immediately pulled the covers around her neck with a smile.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "She never gets into bed this quickly."

Sam shrugged. "What can I say? I'm magic!"

She snorted in response before sitting one side of her and indicating for Sam to sit at the other. When they were settled she set about smoothing the blanket over her daughter. "What do you want to read honey?"

Her eye's narrowed slightly as she thought about it. "Marley's Farm!"

Mercedes shook her head. "I think you should choose something else for tonight."

"What's wrong with Marley's Farm?"

She shot him hard look and mouthed the words 'not helping'.

Chey looked at her mom with wide eyes. "_Please_ mommy?" Sam looked at her too and he knew his face would have been exactly the same.

He was met with a sigh. "Marley's Farm is long. It has eight chapters. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes I am."

Chey smiled at him then google eyed her mother again. Sam knew he shouldn't but this was a treat.

There was another loud sigh. "Okay… But you brought this upon yourself!" She pointed over to a shelf above the small writing desk. "Books are over there."

Sam went over and picked the book, not failing to notice the well-thumbed Dr Seuss collection in pride of place. As he sat back down he thumbed through and noticed that the book was, in fact, longer than he had anticipated.

_Ah well, what's the use of having a daughter if he didn't get to spoil her once in a while…_

"Are you ready?"

Mercedes nodded and Chey excitedly snuggled herself down further into the bed.

"Okay, here goes! Marley's Farm chapter one!"

He was barely two sentences in before he was interrupted. "Are you going to do the animal noises?"

"Noises?"

"For the farm animals?"

"Yeah. Sure. If you want that."

"Yes please."

It turned out that here were a shedload of different animals in this farm, some of which would have been better off in a zoo. And some he had to admit, he really wasn't sure how they sounded. What the hell kind of noise does a zebra make? Luckily his skill of impressions got him through.

By the end of chapter four he was tired and Chey was as wide awake as ever. He shot a look of desperate panic to Mercedes who responded with a smug look of _I told you so!_

Two chapters later and Sam was sick of stupid voices and trying to remember who had which voice. Chey was in constant fits of giggles and still not in the least bit sleepy. "Maybe we should leave it here-" Both Jones females shot him looks to say that it wasn't even worth finishing the sentence. Now it was Chey and mommy against him. How quickly loyalties change!

Finally he decided on his plan of attack. He would read chapter five in a far less excited manner to see if he could calm things down. It was a long shot, but luckily, by the end of the chapter there were stifled yawns. Mid-way through chapter six the yawns were no longer stifled. And by the time he reached the two words that he had never been so pleased to see, 'the end', eyes were definitely drooping.

Mercedes immediately stood and smoothed the covers and he did the same on his side. "Okay, it's sleepy time, precious." Chey pouted but snuggled down even more. "Are you going to thank Sam for the story?"

She nodded and held open her arms to him. "Thank you for the story Sam."

He leaned forward and gratefully accepted the hug, placing a kiss on her forehead. "You're welcome baby. Goodnight."

She turned and held out her arms again and Mercedes leaned in to hug and kiss her. "Sweet dreams baby. I love you."

"I love you too" Chey muttered sleepily.

Sam's heart swelled to watch the exchange before Mercedes turned out the light and led the way out of the room.

"How the hell do you do that every night?" The question burst out of his mouth before they had even reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I choose a shorter book!" She said simply.

"I don't mean that!" He frowned, trying to articulate what exactly it was that he was trying to say. "The whole saying goodnight and saying I love you and leaving her there. Doesn't it, I don't know… Doesn't it break your heart a little bit?"

Mercedes frowned. "It doesn't break my heart. I guess I'm used to it because I do it every night. But some nights, some nights after I've said goodnight I'll just stand and watch her sleep for a little bit. I remember how scared I was at the beginning and I relish the fact that I was able to get to this point. Then I guess there was last week. Last Friday she stayed at mom's so that I could go out with my friends. I had fun but I still missed her and still had to phone home just to say goodnight. It felt wrong otherwise."

Sam nodded, unsure what to say or why he had even started the conversation anyway. He'd seen Chey so he guessed it was time to get going.

"I'm going to have some herbal tea. Would you like something before you go?"

He looked at her hesitantly.

"Look. I don't bite. You've only been here for about forty five minutes. Don't feel the need to rush off just for my sake."

Sam thought about it. He still wasn't ready to go back to that empty apartment. "Okay. I'll have a coffee. It's a long drive home and I'll probably need it. Besides, I never did get to drink that one that you made for me the other day." Sam sat back down. Scrubs was still on the screen and he couldn't be sure if it was the same episode or another one had started.

When she returned with his drink she smiled at the screen. "Oh wow! Scrubs! I used to love watching this!"

Plonking herself down next to him she crossed her legs underneath herself, placed a cushion on her lap and cradled her mug as she giggled her way through the show. Sam glanced at her occasionally out of the corner of his eye. She looked so much more relaxed and younger when she was like this. When it finished she picked up the remote and flicked through to see if she could find any other sitcoms to watch. "So I thought you were going to Tennessee this weekend."

"We did."

"But you called from New Haven."

"I'd just driven my sister back up to college."

"Oh. Did you all have fun?"

Sam looked away. "It wasn't that kind of a trip." His tone came out harder than he meant it to and he saw her flinch. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. It was just… we went to see our parents."

"Oh. I see. But I thought your parents were- oh shit! I'm sorry!"

Mercedes' expression was one of a person who was desperately trying to backtrack after committing a faux pas. He reached and touched her hand to reassure her. "Don't worry. It's just something we do every year to pay our respects."

"You must still miss them."

"Sometimes." He realized he was still touching Mercedes and took his hand back. "It was eighteen years ago so I'd be lying if I said I thought about them every day and stuff like that. It's just, so much has happened in the last couple of months. They would have been grandparents. They've missed out on this. On Chey and on… other stuff."

"I'm sure they'd be proud of you Sam."

"I just wish... I just wish that I could have spent more time with them. We had a big house, went to the best schools, got whisked around here there and everywhere, but I would have loved nothing more than to have my parents sit on my bed and read me a story.

My mom used to cry whenever we went away to school. She said that she missed us and we thought she was just saying that but now I know exactly what she meant. They weren't hands on parents. I don't mean that in a horrible way because they loved us very much. It's just that they weren't naturally very affectionate. Because of the age gap it was Stevie and I for a really long time. But collectively we were simply 'the children'. They would be in one wing of the house and we would be in another. Dad was always working. Mom tried, but she was always busy too. Then when she got sick… I think that's when she realized what she had missed. For those last nine months Stacey's world was kisses and cuddles. I was jealous but I understood too. She was making up for lost time.

We used to talk, me and mom. Sometimes I would even call her from school just to see how she was. She would tell me about her day and I would tell her about mine. My friends started to ask who I was talking to all the time and I couldn't admit to it being my mom so I pretended to have a girlfriend back home who I was speaking to. She taught me, well, she taught_ all_ of us, that it's important to make time for family. You can never get back the time you miss so you have to make every second count."

Mercedes sat nodding silently for a few moments. "Is that why you were so desperate to get to spend time with Chey?"

Sam nodded. "Even one hour a week is more than what we had with our dad. I couldn't bear to be like that with any child of mine, whatever the circumstances. I know at the beginning I may have come across as being heavy handed, but you need to know that it came from a good place, not a bad place."

"I know that now."

"Chey's a great girl. She really is. And I've missed so much of her life already. That afternoon, sitting playing Mario Karts. I would have given anything to so that kind of thing with my dad. Other kids used to moan about being home at the holidays and having to sit playing board games with the family. I would have loved to have that happen. But dad was always busy on the phone to someone or other to do with business. And mom was always running after him or resting because she would often get tired or weak. The worst thing that anyone can say to me is that I'm neglectful of my own child."

"I would never keep you from her Sam. At the beginning… I was angry. We both were. But we've moved on from that to work together for the greater interest. For Chey's interest. I know what it's like to be close and fiercely loyal to your family. For the longest time it was just me and my mom."

"What happened to your dad?"

"I don't even remember him. He and mom were high school sweethearts who married in college. By the time I was born he was already drinking heavily. By the time I was two he had left mom and me for some older woman somewhere that he'd just met. And when I say left, i mean he completely disappeared off the radar. No letters, calls, child support, paperwork for divorce, nothing. Five years later my mom gets a call from an attorney executing his will. He had died in some sort of accident while travelling in Europe and as he and my mom were technically still married she suddenly inherited the house and some money. She changed her name back to Carter and the rest is history. It was me and her against the world for a long time. That's why sometimes she can seem a bit abrasive. But it all comes from a place of love. She showered me with love. I never missed my dad. She loved me enough for the both of them. And Chey, I've loved her enough for the both of us too."

"But now you don't have to anymore."

"Now I don't have to anymore" she repeated quietly. "It's just... This has all happened so quickly. Sometimes when I stop and think about it, it scares me."

Sam looked at her sincerely. "It scares me too. But somehow we'll work this out. We each have our own lives, but now that we're tethered together by Chey we will find a way to make it all work out. I was scared at the beginning, worried that I'd screw her up or traumatize her."

"Chey? No! She takes everything in her stride. She might have initial trust issues which may or may not be inherited from her mother…" Mercedes smiled at her own words "But once you're in there, she will adore you. And she already does. It's like she already subconsciously knows who you are without us saying anything."

"Do you think she'll eventually figure it out?"

"I don't doubt it. She's clever. And the more time you spend with her, the more time she'll want you to become her dad anyway."

"I showed your book to my brother."

She raised her eyebrows. "What did he say?"

"He wants to meet you."

"Okay…" He saw that she was suddenly biting her lip nervously.

"It's nothing to be worried about. He's just excited to see his niece. He loves kids and I'm sure he's a damn sight better with them than I am! But I already told him to give you a bit of time. I know you're still struggling to adjust to me. I'm not going to pile everyone on top of you just yet. Although I think it's fair to warn in advance, my sister Stacey was bouncing round like Tigger when I told her about Chey. I think that when they meet they'll both need to be kept off the sugary drinks."

"Are you sure they don't mind?"

"Mercedes! Have you not been listening to what I just told you about my family? It's just us. It has been for a while. We're all desperate to share that love."

"Okay. I'll meet them. But, give me a couple more weeks. I don't want to create a bad impression." She cast her eyes down.

"You could never do that."

Meeting his eyes again her face was an expression of disbelief. "Tell me more about your family."

"Well, right now Stacey looks pretty different from the picture I gave you because she decided to cut off all hair…" Sam sat and told her all about his family. About Stacy and her crazy humor and insatiable need for cuddles and chocolate, Stevie and his serious exterior but geeky center and even Holly and her constant silliness.

"There's something else about Holly too…" He thought about it carefully before deciding to tell Mercedes about the pregnancy. She would find out about it anyway and it's not like she had any reason to go around telling others. Mercedes promised to say nothing. "And I thought, when you guys get to meet, you'd have motherhood in common."

"Ah yes. The great sisterhood of the stretchy maternity pants!"

"I didn't mean it like that! It's just- Well, after the book and the picture of Chey in the incubator, it made me realize that there's so much of your story and her story that I don't know." He paused. "Tell me about it?"

"About what?"

"About the beginning. When she was born. I just spilled my guts about my family. This is a chapter that I don't know about yet."

"You really want to know?"

"Of course I do."

"Okay, well, it was mostly a straightforward pregnancy until six weeks before my due date. Do you know what preeclampsia is?"

Sam shook his head and she explained how she got sick, how she was rushed to hospital, kept under obs but still gave birth a week later to a premature baby with a slightly low birth weight. She told him about the hours sat in a chair watching her baby through the glass, seeing her translucent skin her chest rise and fall. She spoke about how, even though she seemed so small, she had one hell of a death grip with those small hands. She spoke about how it calmed both her and Chey when she sang, and how she was convinced that she loved Destiny's child. She spoke about when Chey finally put on enough weight to be able to come home, but how shortly afterwards Mercedes began to suffer from postpartum depression. During that time, Dionne was her rock and through the counseling and recovery from that she made friends with Quinn who was her best friend and Chey's aunt in everything but blood. She told him how she would creep into Chey's room in the middle of the night, take the baby from the crib and just lay there with her on her chest, stroking her gently and feeling her heartbeat and fast breaths.

Somewhere in all of that she started crying and Sam pulled her close and just held her until she felt ready to continue. "And so now," she finished "Whenever I look at Chey and the amazing girl she's become, I thank god for the beautiful gift that I have been entrusted with and promise never to intentionally put her in harms way."

"Wow." Sam was astounded. He didn't know what to say. How would things have been different if he had known about the pregnancy? She would have had the best doctors and the best care money could buy. But would she still have the same mother and child bond? "I wish I could have been there when you were going through all that."

"I doubt it would have made a difference. I still had support. I still had people who loved me. We can't change the past, we can only influence the future and make it the best one possible."

"And I promise we will."

The air was heavy between them for a moment after their intense conversation and Sam decided to lighten the mood. "Hey, do you want to hear something really funny?"

"What is it?"

"Well, when I came here for the first time, the first of our official 'sessions', I was really scared of Chey!"

"You were scared? Of a child?"

He chuckled. "Yeah well, our first meeting had been less than stellar. And then your mom hinted that you guys weren't in a great mood when I first arrived so she bought us some cooling off time for you. And then when I did come in, she's shooting me death stares like I'm some super-villan and my superpower is shouting and waking little girls up in the middle of the night."

"Her face was a picture."

"If looks could kill I think I would have fried on the spot!"

It was her turn to smile. "I think she gets that from my mom. I swear that woman could probably stop traffic with a hard enough glare. But seriously? You're an important man. You go to important meetings to discuss important things with other important people."

Sam looked at her, pleading with his eyes for Mercedes to understand. "Don't you get it? She's more important than _any_ of them! If I screw up at work, it's just money. If I screw up with her-" His voice cracked and he looked away.

She touched his hand again. "I get it Sam. Really, I do."

He recovered himself and smiled. "But seriously tho. Did you not see it? She was staring at me like I'd poisoned the food and planted a bomb inside her bear!

This time Mercedes laughed out loud. "You're so funny!"

"But it's true. Then she goes and puts me on blast for use of a bad word in front of a minor! I swear it was the first time in my life I ever wanted to run away from a situation!"

"Well I'm glad you stayed."

"So am I. I've got a lot to catch up on and learn with this whole fatherhood thing but i'm ready and willing to do whatever it takes."

Mercedes suddenly yawned and looked at her watch before gasping. "Oh shit Sam! It's 1.15!"

"1.15? Oh wow! I have to go!" Sam couldn't believe that the two of them had been talking for hours and barely noticed the passing of time. He quickly stood and Mercedes reached up and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"You're not going anywhere this late!"

"The roads will be empty at this time. It'll be quick."

"No Sam. You're too tired. You've had an emotional day, flown half the length of the country and driven to New Haven and back. It's not safe to let you back on the road."

"I'll be fine!"

"Maybe so, but I'll worry. You can sleep in the guest room and leave in the morning."

"I can't-"

She scowled at him. "You can. And I will not take no for an answer! My trainer will be here in less than five hours and I intend to get every second of sleep that I can before he arrives. The spare room's kitted out with everything you could possibly need and so is the bathroom."

"But Mercedes-"

"But nothing Sam. 'Mi casa su casa' has never been more apt when it comes to you and this house. You're welcome to stay whenever you need to. Now please, we've managed to not fight at all this evening. Let's keep it that way!"

Sam paused, suddenly realizing that by doing this she was actually putting a lot of faith in him. She didn't seem the type to let men hang around.

"Okay. If you insist." He still felt reluctant. "But I think I might have to be gone by the time Chey wakes up."

"That's okay. She'll still be hyped about your story in the morning to even notice."

He smiled. "And we still need to decide what we're going to do for our outing next weekend."

Mercedes yawned widely. "Yeah, but that's a discussion for another time." She reached out her hand and allowed Sam to pull her up from the couch, rubbing her legs slowly as the blood rushed back into them. "I'm too tired to think right now."

Sam had to admit he was starting to feel the same as she led him out of the room and switched off the light. He followed her up the stairs, still feeling that he was imposing but not daring to say. She really did look tired. Opening the door to the guest room, she switched on the light and waved him inside. "It's kitted out like a hotel room and the bathroom is for your exclusive use too. Everything you'll need is already there. Oh and there's a switch for the hallway light next to your bathroom. Please turn it off when you're done…" She rubbed at her eyes again. "I'm sorry but I really have to sleep now. Help yourself to anything from the kitchen in the morning. Goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight Mercedes. And thank you."

"Whatever." She shrugged and yawned as she wandered into her room, shutting the door behind her, leaving him alone in the hall with his thoughts.

He had only seen the guest room once briefly as Chey had taken him on an extremely random tour of the house on his previous visit. Turning on the light he examined it again. It was indeed like a hotel room, tastefully decorated in neutral shades of cream and chocolate with a closet and a desk/vanity unit. There were also bedside drawers as well as lamps on each side of the queen sized bed.

In the bathroom he found two robes and plenty of towels. On the sink unit was a tumbler containing several brand new unopened toothbrushes and toothpaste. There was also a range of smart fragrance free products: shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, moisturizer and shaving foam as well as multi bladed disposable razors and even combs still in their plastic. She really had thought of everything.

By the time he had handled his business and switched off the hallway light, he noticed her room was already in darkness.

Slipping into the comfortable bed he set the alarm on his phone, drifted into sleep and dreamed of his mother.

* * *

The alarm rang all too soon and after showering himself awake, he slipped downstairs to grab a coffee and help himself to a bagel. He figured if he left at six it would give him time to get home, maybe have another shower before he changed his clothes and grabbed what he needed to be at work for eight.

Conveniently next to the coffee machine was a stack of lidded take-away cups. This woman really did think of everything! Pouring his brew into one of the cups he headed for the door, only to meet Mercedes at the bottom of the stairs. She looked different. Brighter, almost excited. Her hair was scraped back into a high ponytail and even though she was wearing a tank and sweats, these were Nike ones that clung far more flatteringly than the saggy oversized ones she normally wore. And the tank gave her a more controlled silhouette.

"Thanks again for letting me stay."

"As I said, no problem. I see you found the cups for coffee?"

"Yeah. They're a great idea. I should get some of these. I always make a cup in the morning and leave half of it behind."

By now they had both reached the front door. That awkward goodbye moment again. This time he threw caution to the wind and went for the hug. It's not like they hadn't the night before anyway. "And thanks for the chat last night. I really needed it."

"Anytime. And I mean that Sam. If you ever need to talk, you know exactly where I am."

"Sure."

Mercedes pulled back out of the embrace. "And we'll speak later about the weekend?"

"Definitely."

Out of the corner of his eye Sam spotted movement outside and Mercedes rushed to open the door to an attractive young man with hazel eyes. He was shorter than Sam, about 5' 8 and had curly hair slicked with slightly too much gel in it. He was also in sweats and carrying a gym bag. This must be the personal trainer!

"Hi Blaine!" Mercedes' voice was suddenly gushy in a way that he had never heard her before.

Blaine pulled her close and gave her a peck on the check. "Morning gorgeous! I hope you're ready for me to make you sweat!"

Sam wanted to cringe at the cheesiness of the guy. He cleared his throat loudly before offering his hand. "Hi! I'm Sam."

He was met with a beaming smile. "Hi Sam! Blaine Anderson. Pleased to meet you. And you are Mercedes'…?"

"Friend!" She piped up.

"Friend?" His delicately groomed eyebrow instantly arched.

"Just friends." Sam confirmed.

The smile got a little wider and Sam did not miss the flick of the hazel eyes as Blaine quickly checked him out from head to toe then back up to his head before registering an expression of approval. He stood aside and allowed the shorter man to come in. "Well you guys have a good session and Mercedes, I'll speak to you later right?"

"Right." Her eyes were still firmly trained on Blaine.

Sam smiled to himself, amuzed, wondering how long it would take her to realize that the personal trainer she was so clearly crushing on was gay…


	13. Family Day Out

**_Did you really think that things could stay all cute and nice and fluffy forever?_**

* * *

It was Sam's idea to go to the petting zoo. To make up for the fleeting time with Chey the previous week he wanted to have more time.

"Are you sure people won't recognize you?" They were standing in the kitchen and Sam watched as Mercedes washed some grapes and packed them into a small Tupperware container. He could understand her worry.

"I'm sure. Very few people do. It's not like I'm a celebrity. I'm a business man. Sure I get my picture in the press sometimes but it doesn't really register on most people's consciousness. Most of the time they look at me with a 'don't I know you?' expression but they never really place me." And it's not as if they were dressed up. Sam was casual and Mercedes had dropped the pants for a decent pair of jeans and a hoodie.

"Okay. Well I'm trusting you on this."

"It'll be fine. I promise."

Sam had arrived early and driven them to the local petting zoo himself after proudly showing Mercedes the booster seat that he had bought for his town car. She had rolled her eyes and Chey had simply chattered excitedly for the entire journey.

Once inside the main entrance, Sam studied the small map. Unlike the girls, he had never been there before. "Now where shall we start?"

"The ponies!" Since she had been told where they were going, Chey had been obsessing about seeing them as one of the main characters in Marley's Farm was a pony.

"Ponies it is then!" Sam smiled, enjoying the fact that they were walking around with her like a normal family. From the moment they had exited the car, they had walked together, Mercedes holding one little hand and him holding the other while she jumped and begged them to continually swing her until Mercedes' arm got tired.

Thankfully the ponies were near the entrance.

Her initial excitement soon calmed. Suddenly, rather than looking at the ponies, Chey was looking intently at a young family that were walking towards them. Mom was black and dad was white and there was a little girl swinging between them.

Sam caught Mercedes eye and indicated towards where she was looking with an expression of extreme concentration. They both anxiously waited for Chey to say something. But she didn't. "Can I go on a pony ride?"

"Sure you can. We just have to join the line…"

And like that the moment was gone. For a second Sam thought that she had worked out who he was to her. But maybe not.

Chey loved the ponies and was very put out by her mom explaining that they could not just keep one in the yard and that a pony would not be able to climb the steps to get up to the playroom. She instead comforted herself with fluffy baby chicks and excitedly thought up names for them.

When they stopped for a break and a snack the family were ahead of them in line at the café. Again Chey looked at them carefully, but the only words to come out of her mouth were "Mommy? Can I have a cookie?"

"No baby. You know the rules. No sweets before lunch. Mommy has grapes for you. If you're good we'll get some cotton candy later."

Sam was impressed that she didn't argue.

She still said nothing by the time they sat for lunch, looking at the other families very carefully. As always she had insisted on sitting next to Sam and insisting on having exactly the same food items as him, prompting Sam to use the opportunity to put extra vegetables on his tray.

Lunch was filled with conversation about why Donkey from Shrek didn't have a name and was just called Donkey.

And then it happened.

"Emma has a mommy and a daddy all the time."

_Okay…_

"I have just a mommy like Jackson." She ate a couple more bites of her pasta. "Duane has a daddy who he sees sometimes. Are you my daddy who I see sometimes?"

Sam's heart raced as she looked up at him with a serious expression. Definitely not the way he was expecting this. "Er… Yeah. I am your daddy. And yeah, I'll try and see you whenever I can."

"Good."

She returned to eating her pasta and Sam frowned at Mercedes who shrugged in return.

"Emma's daddy makes her pancakes for breakfast. Will you make me pancakes for breakfast?"

"Sure thing." He looked at Mercedes. "I'm sure mommy and I can organize that."

"Be careful what you promise Sam. Our child has an excellent memory and will hound you 'til it happens!"

"No problem with me!"

He smiled down at Chey who smiled back up at him. "Pancakes!" she said happily before continuing with her food.

Sam leaned across to Mercedes. "Is that it?" he whispered.

She winked and shot him a smile. "Welcome to the world of small children. Please leave logic, reason and all rational thinking in the bucket by the door. I think she got it though. Just be prepared for more random questions as the day goes on!"

Sam waited for the questions but they didn't come.

He was pretty sure she held onto his hand that little bit tighter tho.

In the center of the farm was a Merry-Go-Round of kids. Chey didn't even need to ask the question, it was written all over her eyes. After selecting her horse and letting Sam help her climb on and pay for two successive rides, she giggled like an anamaniac as it took her in gentle circles, rising and falling gracefully. Every time she went past where they stood she smiled and they waved, Mercedes anxious that she should keep both hands on the horse just in case despite Sam being sure that it was perfectly safe.

"Sam, that child has issues with staying still. I don't want her to get distracted and lose her balance."

He rolled his eyes. "Look at her. She's fine!"

But Mercedes wasn't looking. Yet again she'd pulled her phone out, smiled at the message, typed something back and slipped it away again.

"So I guess my little secret is out with Chey huh!"

"Yep."

"I can't help feeling cheated though. I was expecting this grand moment, you know, maybe with music in the background that rises to a crescendo and a huge tear filled embrace with lots of 'I'm so glad I found you' sentiments."

"Sam, first of all, this is real life not a Lifeline movie. Second, she's six. What the hell were you expecting?"

"I don't know. More than just the word 'good' I suppose."

"Well just be glad it wasn't a 'hell to the no'!"

"True."

"Besides, for a girl that talks a lot, she processes a lot of things in her head. Just give her time. She may be the queen of understatement at the moment but give her time for it all to filter through properly."

"She seemed more excited at the thought of me making her pancakes than she was about me being her dad."

"Don't sweat it Sam. It's best this way."

He shrugged. "I guess so. It's better than you bringing home some random man and her choosing to call him daddy instead."

"Oh yeah, like that's going to happen."

"You never know. She seems keen on the idea of you having a boyfriend."

"That's because she adores mom's boyfriend Artie. She thinks that all men are wonderful like that. She hasn't learned the bitter truth yet."

"Not all men are complete asses."

"I know that."

"Having said that, I'm not sure how I'd feel about you having a man around Chey." Actually, the thought had started to bother him the moment he had seen her response to Blaine.

Mercedes side-eyed him. "You have a girlfriend but I can't have someone. What happened to 'we both have our own lives'?"

He immediately backed down. It wasn't what he was trying to say at all, was it? "I didn't mean it like that. It's just… you know… Maybe I should get to check out any man who is going to be spending time around my girl. Like you say, there's lots of creeps out there."

"And lots of creepy women too. On that basis, I should check out your girlfriend too."

Sam shrugged. "I guess that's fair. But it's not that serious so it's not like she's going to be around Chey."

"Not serious? So how long have you been seeing her?"

"About eight months."

Her eyes widened. "Eight months! Sam what's wrong with you. Eight months _is_ serious!"

For some reason her saying that made him slightly uncomfortable, especially in view of the way their relationship with Kirsten had been rolling recently. "Yeah, well when you start seeing someone, I'll bring her round for dinner and we can do this whole thing properly."

"Fair enough. Besides. I've totally got my eye on someone."

This time it was Sam's turn to narrow his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah really."

"Let me guess, the personal trainer."

"Well, he is hot. And extremely flirty."

"And extremely _gay_!"

"No! He isn't! He just well groomed-"

"Gay gay gay gay gay…"

She whacked him on his arm. "You're wrong!"

"Yeah. I guess I am. It was wrong of me not to have put you out of your misery sooner."

"You know that's not what I meant! So what makes you think he's gay?"

"Gee… I don't know…" He pretended to think for a moment. "Maybe it was something to do with the fact that the second we both stressed to him that we're only friends, he totally undressed me with his eyes and practically started salivating."

Mercedes gasped in shock. "He _didn't!_"

"Think about it. He's an exceptionally well groomed personal fitness instructor, a professional dancer _and _asyou just discovered also a part time model."

"Just because he dances doesn't mean a thing. There's lots of very sexy _straight_ male dancers!"

"Hey, you're talking to the guy who lost a very hot girlfriend to Harry Shum Jr! I'm not going to disagree! I'm just going to leave you to work out Blaine Anderson for yourself."

"Humph!" She looked put out. But there was a faint smile on her lips. "Anyway, you get checked out by practically everyone you meet anyway so it doesn't matter."

"No I don't!"

"Please. I see the glances you've been getting since we got here."

"You get checked out too!"

"Yeah right. Don't try to make me feel better. I know how I look and I know what guys go for."

"Wrong! You're gorgeous. Especially when you smile. And you've smiled every single time you've got a text this morning and there's been plenty of them!"

The smile returned. "It was only a couple!"

"That was enough. Who are you texting anyway?"

"Nobody. Just a friend of a friend."

"Hmmm." Sam didn't like to think too hard about that but he suspected those texts were not from Blaine. "Besides, I've seen men looking at you today!"

"Yeah, they were just looking at how fat I am!" She smiled and waved at Chey as the ride finally slowed. "Tell you what. Let's go over and get her some cotton candy. I bet you ten dollars that even if I place the order, the girl will be constantly looking at you."

Sam raised his eyebrow but didn't want to start and argument. "Okay, fine!"

Chey broke into fits of giggles as Sam stepped over to lift her from the ride. "Can I go again?"

"No. But because you've been a good girl we're going to get you some cotton candy now."

"Yay!"

Grabbing a hand each they joined the short line at the kiosk.

There was a lull in their conversation as Chey chatted excitedly about the ride. Sam didn't mean to listen to the conversation behind him, but the group of girls were making no attempt at all to lower their voices, almost as if they wanted him to overhear. "Are you serious... But I saw him first… He's way out of her league… She isn't even in a league… Bet the lights were out when he got her pregnant… But did you see the size of her ass?… Bet it isn't even his kid tho… I'd fuck him on the first date… He's a bit old but I still would… Guys I'd suck him without even asking his name… I bet she still doesn't know his name… He probably only came out with her as a dare!"

Sam clenched his jaw. Chey was still chatting away animatedly but Mercedes had her eyes trained on the ground, and he knew that she was listening too, her entire body giving off the aura of one who had been defeated. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the server.

"Who's next? Hi sir!" Mercedes was standing slightly nearer but he was the one she made eye contact with even though it was obvious that they were together.

He watched as Mercedes mustered up some courage to lift her head and look up at the server. "One large bag please."

"Sure thing." She turned to grab the bag then turned back. To Sam. With a flirtatious smile. "That'll be five dollars."

He automatically reached into his pocket and paid before even thinking that just this once, he should have maybe let Mercedes do it. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't dream of letting her pay but the way she was being ignored…

"… Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave…"

Mercedes had started walking away and he hurriedly followed her as the voices continued their taunting. Sam turned to glare at the offending girls, who it turned out, were barely in their teens and barely clothed and was about to let rip when she stopped him. "Not worth it."

She was holding tightly onto Chey's hand and walking fast.

"Mercedes-" He reached and touched her arm and she stopped walking but immediately pushed him off.

"Don't!" Her voice sounded bitter.

"I'm sorry I wish I'd-"

"It wouldn't have made a difference. This is how it is for me. This is my life. I deal with it and move on. So should you!"

"But-"

"Sam, I just really want to go home now. Can we do that please?"

"Sure." Sam took Chey's free hand and she looked up at him sympathetically.

"Mommy?"

"Yes honey?"

"Can I have some candy?"

"Sure. When we get to the car and you're buckled in your seat you can have candy."

Sam could tell that Chey had picked up on the tension but had no idea what to say or do to make her feel better as they hurried to the car. She immediately climbed into the seat and silently buckled herself in. Mercedes did the same in the front passenger seat then opened the candy, pulling a chunk off and putting it in the Tupperware container that had previously held Chey's fruit before turning in her seat and handing it to her.

"Thank you mommy."

Mercedes held out the bag to Sam. "Want some?"

He shook his head. "I'm good thanks." Then he watched as she pulled a piece, went to put it in her mouth then change her mind, closing the bag and staring out of the window instead.

The drive back was silent. The lack of incessant chatter from Chey was disturbing as she quietly and carefully ate her treat. After a while he switched on the radio and smiled as Chey started to hum to along to the pop station.

Thankfully it wasn't too long until they were back and pulling into the drive. Before he could switch off the engine Mercedes pulled out her purse, took out a small remote and opened the garage. "You can park inside. I dread to think what the neighbors think of all these different cars coming and going from here!"

As they got out of the car and headed into the house she handed him the remote. "Keep it for when you come." And then she'd grabbed Chey's hand and gone inside before he could even thank her. Rushing to follow she was half way up the stairs with their daughter standing in the hall. "Chey honey," She called as she made her way to the top "Sam is going to find you some cartoons to watch. You need to have some quiet sitting down time, okay?"

Much as Sam wanted to follow Mercedes and speak to her about what the hell had just happened, he found himself hand in hand with his daughter, walking into the lounge to switch on the TV. Sinking onto the couch he smiled as Chey sat next to him and snuggled close.

"Let's find something nice for you to watch." He flicked through the channels aimlessly before finding a movie that was still near the beginning. "Hey Chey? Have you seen Annie?"

She frowned up at him with a confused expression.

_Ok so maybe not._

"It's about a little girl who is an orphan who makes friends with a little dog. And has lots of adventures and sings lots of songs."

"I like to sing songs!"

"That's great. Shall we watch this together then?"

She nodded and rested her head against him slightly.

"So what are you guys watching?"

Sam turned to see Mercedes walk into the room. Gone were the nice jeans and back were the fugly gray sweats that he swore he would burn if he ever got hold of them. What was wrong with her constantly hiding herself in those things?

"Annie's just started and I think Chey is fascinated by the scruffy dog."

"I've never seen Annie." Mercedes kissed the top of Chey's head and handed her a juice box which she eagerly started slurping.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You've _never _seen Annie."

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Nope."

"It's a classic! Stacey used to watch this constantly. She said she could relate to Annie being an orphan but I think she was just saying that for attention."

"You were all orphans Sam."

"Yeah. I suppose she grew up as one because she doesn't remember mom and dad. But it's not like she ever actually had a 'hard knock life'!"

"Hard knock life? As in that Jay-Z song!"

Sam actually groaned aloud. "Please tell me you did not just say that! It's like saying Christopher Eccleston was the first Doctor or that it's wrong to ship Kirk and Uhura because Spock and Nyota were cannon in the 2009 movie!"

"Be careful Sam, your geek is showing. Don't make me school you when it comes to shipping!" She looked amuzed but he could tell she was still annoyed about earlier. "I know he was sampling the song from the musical. I've just never watched it yet, that's all."

He nodded to the empty space on the couch. "So join us!"

She shook her head. "I'm going to make some cookies for Chey. Can I get you anything while I'm in the kitchen?"

He shook his head and watched her leave. Everything inside him wanted to get up and follow her there so they could talk about what happened at the petting zoo but Chey was snuggled up and he didn't want to disturb her. He sensed that Mercedes was asking for some space and decided to give it to her for now.

It had been years since he'd watched Annie and it brought back memories of spending time with Stacey when she was younger. She loved the concept and would sit and watch the 1999 remake over and over, driving Rosa mad with her incessant singing of Little Girls. Mercedes was right about Chey's inability to sit still. Whenever there was a song she tended to stand up and dance while trying to sing along. Whenever something exciting happened she would squeal and move closer to the screen until he told her to step back.

After an hour, she had settled on the smaller couch and he decided to use the opportunity to check in on Mercedes who had vanished. Entering the kitchen he was met with a heavenly smell and a rack of cooling peanut butter and chocolate chip cookes. "Mercedes?" Hearing no answer he took one and bit into it, making the decision that he was going to have to ask her to bake a batch of cookies for each of his visits from now on because these were amazing.

Back in the hallway he called for her again but still received no answer. Debating whether or not to go up the stairs he suddenly noticed that the door to the basement wasn't quite fully closed. Peering in from the top of the stairs he saw her, kitted out in her Nike sweats, striding purposefully on the treadmill with headphones on and her eyes closed. Knowing that trying to get her attention at this point would only scare her, he decided to let her be and resolved to stay back as long as it took until they finally got the chance to speak about what had happened earlier at the zoo.

Returning to the lounge Chey cuddled up to him as soon as he sat back down. "Sam, are you my Daddy Warbucks?" _Way to pull at the heart strings!_

He nodded. "Yeah. I guess I am."

She thought about it. "So that makes me your Annie." It was a statement and a question at the same time.

Did it? There was no real fault in that logic. "I guess it does, Annie." Cheyenne… Annie… Actually, yeah that worked!

Chey reached up and gave him a spontaneous hug before jumping up for the next song. When it finished she leaped back onto the couch happily. After the drama and the happy ending she kept her eyes on the screen as the credits rolled. "I like being Annie" She said quietly.

Sam sat and looked at her out of the corner of his eye, happy and sad at the same time. He and Chey had just had a moment. And there was nobody there for him to share it with.

* * *

How had the day gone so wrong? The morning had been so fantastic!

Mercedes wrapped herself in a large towel, stepped out of her bathroom and sat on her bed to apply her lotion. She knew that she had to face Sam soon, that he clearly wanted to talk about what had happened earlier, but she just needed to buy herself a little more time.

Those damn cookies! The whole time she was making them she could hear her mom's voice in the back of her head telling her not to do it. Since the move she had not baked and today there was now a huge batch cooling in the kitchen. She'd been good and not even sampled the dough. When it came to taking them out of the oven, the other dangerous time, she managed to resist, telling herself that if she stayed away from the cookies and did some time in the gym instead, she would be able to calorie bank them and gorge only after Sam had left.

But looking at her body as she applied the lotion reminded her that cookies were not the answer. Cookies were part of the problem.

Grabbing her phone, she opened the waiting text from Moe, just a smiley face in response to something she'd sent him earlier, and quickly shot a text off to Quinn.

**Home earlier than planned & had major cookie baking fest. PLEASE come and take them off my hands ASAP!**

Quinn loved her cookies and was always more than happy to take them, removing them from harm's way.

**Gr8! Never say no to cookies. R U OK tho? Shall I bring a DVD?**

Mercedes smiled. Quinn always knew that cookies=stress and she didn't want to worry her.

**Nah. Am over it now. Resisted eating and used gym instead. Just need the things GONE to avoid temptation! Besides, don't you have a D8 tonight?**

She smiled. Quinn was totally gaga over this new guy of her who she had _still_ yet to meet!

**U kno I'd cancel for u.**

Over her dead body!

**Wrong answer. This is the magic 3rd date. I need you to go then share juicy details with me lunch 2moro!**

There was no way her friend should sacrifice for her!

**Ok. If you insist. Will collect cookies en route x x**

Slipping back into her favorite gray sweats she went down to check on Sam and Chey and found them playing Mario Karts.

Sam turned to look at her, crashing out in the process and she laughed at him. He seemed relieved to see her smile and she felt bad for her sulkiness towards him earlier.

"Are you hungry Chey?"

The little girl shook her head. "Are you sure? I'm fixing something coz dad and I need to eat and I can get you something too."

She noticed Sam's head jerk towards her at the way she'd subtly slipped the word in and she shot him a wink without changing her tone.

"I'm fine mommy."

Sam held her stare for a moment, letting her know that he understood that in that one sentence she was reinforcing who he was, inviting him to stay for dinner _and_ letting him know that they would talk.

Breaking the look she focused back on her daughter. Well, she did eat practically an adult sized portion of pasta at lunchtime. "Ok. Just a snack before bed then."

"And a story?" Her eyes looked hopeful.

"And a story."

"And pancakes for breakfast?"

"Don't push it Chey!"

She returned and rummaged through the fridge. Normally she would eat before Chey went to bed but today she would have to make an exception to have time to talk to Sam. The problem with not having any convenience food in the house was that there was no convenience food in the house. She already knew that she would be having a salad and at any other time it would be a simple matter if sticking a pizza in the oven for Sam so that he could have the salad as a side while she had it as a main but this time there was nothing.

And those cookies were just sitting there accusingly. She noticed one missing from the corner and knew Sam had been the culprit. If it had been Chey three would be gone!

Ignoring the taunting voices in her head encouraging her to just hide herself away and eat them, she loaded them into two Tupperware containers, one for Quinn and the other for Sam to take away. After all bar three had been packed away, she put a beaker of milk to warm while she put the remaining cookies of a small plate and took the snack through to the lounge where was busy demonstrating her dancing ability to Sam. She laughed at their bonding session. It was too cute. They'd all come a long way in a short period of time.

Calling Chey to sit properly, she gave her the milk and the plate of cookies, quickly snatching one off. Father and daughter both opened their mouths in protest but she quickly shoved the cookie into the mouth of father then made her exit, leaving them to sort that particular argument out between themselves.

Eggs, cheese, ham, tomatoes. Sam could have an omelet and she could have some of the ham on her salad. She hummed to herself as she worked, lost in her thoughts as she cooked. Why had today bothered her so much? It wasn't as if she hadn't been hearing comments like that her whole life. What she hadn't expected was how hurt Sam looked at what he had heard. She could tell that he had wanted to respond but it wasn't his battle.

Mercedes was thinking so deeply that the sudden movement out of the corner of her eye made her shriek and Sam stepped back apologetically. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just bringing the tray back." He looked down at the omelet that was nearly cooked. "Smells good!"

"Thanks. Do you want it now or later."

"I'll wait for you."

"Okay."

Her phone buzzed.

**I'll be there in an hour. Q**

She felt him looking curiously. "It was Quinn. Quit being so nosy!"

He smiled sheepishly and turned to go.

"Oh and please tell Chey she has ten minutes 'til bath. I'll run it for her when I'm done with this."

"Okay."

He ambled back out and she smiled at how weirdly domestic the entire exchange had just been.

Bath went without a hitch and soon it was back to storytime. It was clear that Chey was genuinely tired so luckily they got away with a short story. The surprise was with the goodnights. She got her usual. But Sam's was different.

"Goodnight daddy!" It was a soft murmur into the side of his neck but it was most definitely there.

"Goodnight Annie!"

This time it was her eyebrow arching. But he way Sam's eyes closed as held her fractionally longer told her the moment meant something to him too.

As they crept down the stairs she had to ask. "So… Annie?"

He grinned. "Yeah. You had to have been there. It's our 'thing' now."

"Oh so you have yourselves a 'thing' do you?"

"Yeah we do. But like I said, you had to have been there, so…"

"It's okay Sam. You need to have your own relationship with her. Besides, I like the name Annie."

He followed her through to the kitchen where she plated up the food, slipping the entire omelet onto his plate with a side salad while she had just salad. Returning to the couch with the TV off she played with her salad as he ate. Her appetite was completely nonexistent despite being hungry earlier.

"This is really good you know!"

"It's just an omelet."

"I know. But it's really good. Do you want to try some?"

She shook her head and the silence fell again.

"Are you not eating because of what the girls said? Because it's not true you know."

_Here it comes…_

"I told you before I don't eat late anymore so this is just a carb free snack for me."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"What do you want me to say Sam? I'm fat. It's a fact. Always have been and always will be. People say stuff about me and I deal with it. Welcome to my life! It's not always a happy place but we manage somehow!"

He tried to reach for her hand but she jerked it away. "Don't touch me!"

"Mercedes I was just-"

"I know. You just wanted to help. But you saying something wouldn't have helped. There is nothing you could have said that _would _help, because everything they said about me was true. If we didn't have Chey together you would never have been seen out with me."

"Says who?"

"Says the harsh reality of life. You mentioned Uhura earlier. She was gorgeous and she still got stick for being with great men. Girls like me, we have no chance_ ever_! I know that and I accept it, but it doesn't mean I like hearing the words when people say them behind my back!"

"Look Mercedes-"

"No, you look Sam! You get to live the nice life. You're born with money. You have the automatic privilege that comes from being white as well as being male. You would have been surrounded by all the popular people and that never changes. People like me are complete non-entities. These worlds don't mix. But don't worry. I'll lose the weight and I'll make an effort to be less of an embarrassment to you!"

"You're not an embarrassment. And as my life, you already know it wasn't as cushy as it outwardly seemed. Plus I went through my own growing pains. I was skinny as a rake, wore braces for years, struggled with my dyslexia and to top it all had really_ really_ bad skin. It took me years to grow into my body and I never quite ever grew into my lips. I had to spend the entire time playing second fiddle to Stevie who was the naturally gifted good looking one. I may not have shared your experience and I may not be able to fully understand some things, like what it's like to be black in a predominantly white society, but you have to realize that I'm more than you give me credit for! I know what it's like to be judged by my appearance and I know what it's like to wish more than anything else that I could look different to the way that I did. Money doesn't stop cruel comments. Money doesn't stop bullying. Attractiveness comes from within and radiates out, not the other way round."

"But people don't find me attractive."

"You're wrong."

"How do you know."

"Because if that was true there wouldn't be a little piece of us sleeping upstairs right now!"

Mercedes nearly dropped her fork. She didn't know how to reply to that one.

Thankfully she didn't have to due to the sudden knock at the door and she used the opportunity to make a hasty exit to answer it.

"Quinnie!"

"Cedes!" The two women squealed and hugged each other. Quinn was all smiles and _not alone. _"I know this is literally a pickup the cookies and we're not stopping, but as he's driving I thought you might want to finally meet the guy who as of today has officially become my new man! Cedes this is Noah!"

Behind her appeared one of the most gorgeous guys she had ever seen. His head was shaven and his eyes were enchanting as he offered his hand. "Hi Mercedes. Pleased to meet you."

He smiled warmly at her but she couldn't help but sense something shifty about him. A nervousness. "Nice to finally put a face to the name, Noah."

Suddenly there was the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. "Puck?"

All color drained from his face. She shot him a questioning look before turning around to see Sam who was turning red with anger. "What the-"

Noticing the reaction, Quinn turned to her man with a frown. "Do you guys know each other? Why did he just call you Puck?"

Mercedes stood still for a moment, the pieces suddenly falling together. Sam said his best friend was called Puck. Sam had mentioned that he was with Puck when he first saw Chey… _Was this all some sick kind of fucking setup?_

"Quinn…"

She stepped back from him. "Noah? Oh my gosh! I remember now. _He was_ _there with you at the diner!_"

Suddenly Sam was right behind her trying to reach for the stranger at the door with a murderous look in his eye. "I trusted you Puck!"

Mercedes had had enough.

She held her hand up like a cop stopping traffic. "Will all of you just SHUT UP! And ONE person, tell me what the HELL is going RIGHT NOW on before I lose my shit with everybody!"

…

* * *

**_What can I say? Amuzed1 wants angst and as it's her prompt so… let the games begin! (But don't worry, I can't do angst for too long or angst simply for angst sake because it depresses me too much)_**

**_# You all knew this was going to happen at some point anyway!_**


	14. The Truth Will Always Out

**_After writing the most epic chapter of my entire life, I have decided never to give in to the requests of people on Tumblr ever again… (Lol – coz you know what you did!)_**

* * *

_Mercedes had had enough._

_She held her hand up like a cop stopping traffic. "Will all of you just SHUT UP! And ONE person, tell me what the HELL is going RIGHT NOW on before I lose my shit with everybody!"_

Three voices immediately began to speak and Mercedes held her hand up again. "My child is SLEEPING upstairs and that it is the way I intend it to stay." She looked out into the street behind Quinn and Puck, adding "And I sure as hell am NOT going to have a shouting match in front of the neighbors!"

Sam watched in horror as the whole chaotic scene began to unfold. Mercedes' voice was strangely calm. Too calm. Deceptively calm. He could tell that she was going to blow any second. All eyes were on her as she paused for a moment and rubbed her temple. He could literally hear her world crashing around her. She looked as if she wanted to cry and Sam wanted nothing more than to touch and reassure her but he knew she would just push him away. For all she knew he was a part of whatever this shit was and he needed the chance to prove that he wasn't.

Instead it was her small hand that he felt on his arm. He had no idea that he had been inching forwards towards his now _former_ friend until he felt the gentle pressure holding him back. It wasn't much pressure but it was enough to stop him from getting blood on her new paintwork.

The blond woman's face was a myriad of emotions. Anger and shock at Puck, confusion at him and desperate panic at the hurt in her friend's eyes. Obviously she was just as much of a victim in this as he was.

Mercedes was shaking but somehow managed to hold her voice steady as she spoke. "Right, here's how we're going to do this. We are four adults and we're going to behave as such. There's a couple of things I've learned with Sam over the last few weeks; the first is that we can never assume the other person is in possession of the full story, and secondly, people withholding information can screw up lives. So this is what's going to happen. We are _all_ going to go right now and sit around the table in the dining room and _nobody_ is moving until we get to the bottom of this shit. And I swear, if _anything_ comes out which is to the detriment of my child, then I will be forever thankful that there's no carpet in there so the blood I'm gonna shed will easily be wiped off the floor!"

Knowing it was best to just get this over with, and eager to hear answers for himself, Sam led the way and watched as they all took a seat around the table in a strained silence.

Mercedes drummed her nails on the table. "So who's going to start us off? Quinn?"

Sam turned to the blond who was staring at Puck with rage and betrayal in her eyes and he knew that she clearly didn't have any answers.

"Sam?" Mercedes turned her attention to him and he knew as soon as she saw his face that she could tell he wasn't in full possession of the facts either.

"So I guess that leaves the one common denominator, our mysterious stranger!" She turned and eyed Puck with suspicion. "Noah, or Puck or whatever the hell your name is, would you kindly care to share with us what the fuck is going on? Because clearly there are three people around this table who have no idea what crazy kind of game you're playing, and if you don't speak fast we have plenty of time to dispose of your body and come up with an excellent alibi before you're even missed!"

Sam watched Puck's Adam's apple move as he audibly gulped. Mercedes' voice had that kind of deceptive calm that scared the shit out of him and he wasn't even the one being addressed!

"You know what? Before we start, I really need to know one thing. Are you Noah or are you Puck or who the hell are you?"

"I'm both. My name is Noah Puckerman. Most people call me Noah and that's how I introduced myself to Quinn but Sam still calls me Puck because that's how I was known in high school."

Mercedes looked to Sam for confirmation of if this was true and he nodded his head. So far Puck hadn't lied but the night was still young.

Puck looked stressed and rubbed his head with one hand nervously before coughing to clear his throat. "Okay so I owe you all answers. But first of all I just want to say that I'm really sorry, I never wanted this to happen and it was definitely wasn't supposed to go this far…"

Quinn's chair scraped back as she lunged towards him and Mercedes had to hold her back. "You've hurt me and you've hurt my best friend! I can't believe I liked you-"

"Let him speak Quinny! Everybody gets one chance, even if it's to dig their own grave. If he's done anything to hurt you or jeopardize my relationship with Chey then we will give him hell, don't you worry about that!"

Quinn backed down slowly but gave him such a hateful stare that Sam would have felt sorry for him, other than the fact he would have been right there with Quinn ripping into him given half the chance. He couldn't hold himself back: "You're the only person I talk to about Mercedes! The only person I trusted with everything. Was this all a fucking huge setup?" He could feel his voice rising but still caught Mercedes' warning glare. "Just speak!" He muttered through his clenched jaw.

Puck looked pained and looked back at Quinn "Please listen to me!"

"Just get on with it!"

"Okay so, I guess I should start from the beginning…"

"I should hope so!" Sam growled, fists clenched.

Puck felt that he was sitting in the middle of a tight circle of vultures, all poised for attack. "Alright, alright… So all began in the diner. I'd been there a couple of times before the first time we saw Cheyenne. The very first time I was with Beth."

"Beth?" Mercedes questioned.

"My daughter. She's four. Anyway, Beth really liked the ball pit and I liked the burgers so later that week when I was alone I popped in for one and saw Quinn sitting studying. I thought she was cute but it was just a passing thought. I didn't say or do anything. Then the next time was when I was with you Sam. I saw Beth playing with the other little girl and figured that might just be my opportunity to finally get to speak to the pretty blond who I had assumed was her mother.

Anyway, when I made my statement to you Sam, about the little girl looking like Stacy, it was just a passing thought. I swear on everything that is precious to me! It only came because I'd been staring at them so much while watching Beth. But then you took it all seriously and followed them out then went batshit crazy and then it became this whole drama of finding this woman who was the mother of your child.

I knew that you already had someone looking into it. but just for kicks I thought I would try and do some detective work of my own. Figuring Quinn was a regular at the diner I worked up the courage to say hi to her, both with and without Beth. Then I worked up the courage to get her number-"

"Oh my god!" Quinn's face was bright red. "This was all because you were trying to get to Mercedes!"

He shook his head. "Quinn, please! Let me finish. That's not true at all!"

Sam could see the fire in Mercedes' eyes and knew it matched what was already in his own. He'd had no idea about what Puck had been doing and he really hoped that Mercedes could see that too.

Puck played with his hands as he continued. "So I had her number, but then I was torn because I kinda liked her but didn't want to use her for information."

"But you _did_!" Quinn was in tears now and Mercedes was rubbing her back while her eyes darted around the room, probably looking for things that could be used as weapons.

"So I didn't call." He turned and looked at Sam. "But then a couple of days later you called and said Mercedes had been found and you were going over there to confront her. I knew you would probably say or do something rash, but you wouldn't listen to me. You might not believe this right now Sam, but I had your best interests at heart. I've known you for twenty years and I know how headstrong and impulsive you are. I knew that you would just go straight up to a woman that you'd only met once in your life and you would let rip. It's your nature. But I also knew from my dealings with Sugar over Beth that that is _never_ the way that you handle a woman with a child.

I tried to warn you and I tried to repeat what it was that you needed to do, but I knew you would lose your rag anyway. You'd had two weeks of buildup and some poor woman would have it unleashed on her like a freakin tsunami without warning. Whatever way you looked at it, it was a recipe for disaster. Then when I called and you told me what had gone down I only wanted to help. I knew that I still had Quinn's number and thought maybe if I spoke to her and indirectly got a little bit of information about her friend, we might be able to use it to establish some common ground to _help_ you and do some damage limitation."

Quinn was now shaking her head and sobbing. Puck reached out to her and she snatched her hand away, shooting daggers at him.

"So that afternoon I _did_ call... Guys, I swear I was only doing what I thought was for the best. Sam's a dad. He deserves to see his child. A few years ago I wouldn't have given two shits about the whole situation but now that I'm a father myself I know that I would move mountains to get my time with Beth. I knew that the way he would have approached you Mercedes would have shattered any hope that he may have had to see his daughter and I just wanted to see if maybe there was anything I could do to help sway things in his favor. Sam's my best friend. My 'brother from another mother'. I would never do anything malicious to him or anyone he cares about."

"So Sam didn't ask you to call Quinn?" Mercedes' eyes were hard.

He shook his head. "No. All I said to Sam was that I was going to make a call but I didn't say to who. Hell, he was so mad after his encounter with you that I don't think he even remembers the conversation."

"That's where you're wrong. I remember it well. I was in my car, I was pissed, but I remember it."

"Then you'll know I was trying to be the voice of reason. I wasn't trying to set you up."

Sam thought about it and calmed a little. But only a little, because as long as Mercedes was riled up, then so was he. And she and her friend were still riled as hell.

"So it took me a couple of hours to work up the courage but I did call Quinn. The plan was just to chat to her for a bit then see if I could sneak out any information I could about her friend."

Quinn audibly sobbed, Mercedes grabbed her hand and Puck looked as if he was going to cry too. "I'm so sorry baby. You have no idea how sorry I am about all of this but it was never my intention to hurt you. I did call that day with the intention of maybe finding stuff out but I didn't do it. Do you remember that call Quinn? We were on the phone for nearly two hours! I loved just talking to you. We chatted and laughed and made stupid conversation and the time just flew. I forgot the reason _why_ I was calling and just enjoyed the opportunity to speak with you. I smiled throughout the whole call. It was like being a teenager again. Tell me it wasn't like that for you too Quinn."

Quinn avoided his eyes and that's when Sam began to piece things together in his own head as he watched his friend address her directly.

"All my intentions of using that call to get information from you disappeared within ten minutes of speaking with you. I realized that I liked you. _Really_ liked you. As a person, not just as a hot blond I saw sometimes in a diner. You were clever and funny and had this gorgeous laugh which gave me tingles. It still gives me tingles Q. And then the next time we met in the diner I knew that I liked you for _you. _I wasn't there to pump you for information. I was there to meet this girl that I really liked and who I really hoped I could get to like me too. And then I was faced with this impossible dilemma. I'd put myself into an impossible situation. There was this girl that I cared about, but _my_ best friend and _her_ best friend were going through drama and whatever way I try to explain things, it's going to look bad not just for me, but for you too Sam. I just got myself so caught up in this huge shitty mess-"

There was the sound of a chair scraping and Quinn was up, running out of the room sobbing with Mercedes hot on her heels.

Puck looked on the verge of tears himself as he looked at Sam pleadingly. "Sam, I-"

"Just shut up Puck!"

Sam also stood and walked up to the window, facing outwards, just so that he could stare at something other than Puck's face for a moment. The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity as Sam thought the whole scenario through. There could be truth in his friend's words. He had no reason to lie. But it was still a betrayal. Puck had been his confidant when it came to all things Mercedes and Chey related. He was the only person in the position to know the details of practically everything that was going down with them. If he wanted, he could have used that power for great evil. But had he? All Sam knew for sure was that Puck had recently been distracted because he was really into some girl he had met. That could just be an excuse or it could genuinely be Quinn. The way he was looking at and addressing his words to Quinn definitely showed that there was some feeling there. On both sides if Quinn's response was anything to go by. And yet her reaction of feeling like she'd been used was totally understandable too. Puck had held back a lot of information from a lot of people. Mercedes had nearly flown off the handle when she realized that who she had thought were two separate unrelated people were actually the same person with different names!

He felt for her because, following the whole Rachel Berry debacle she had every reason to believe that someone was out to shit on her. And their new easiness with each other could still be broken after the huge amount of time that it had taken them to build up a trust. Looking at it from Mercedes' point of view, it did look like a massive conspiracy, and one that he may well have been involved with, if not completely behind. But he wasn't. He just needed a way for her to be able to see that.

Actually, he was pretty proud of the way Mercedes had reacted. She had forced them to sit and listen before reacting. He would have punched out all of Puck's teeth first then listened to his story halfheartedly while watching him spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

Why the hell had Puck been so stupid?

He stiffened as he heard the sound of the chair scrape and Puck walk slowly behind him. Stopping at a safe distance he began to speak again.

"I'm really sorry Sam. I let you down."

Sam continued to stare out of the window. "Why didn't you just come to me?"

"And say what? _Hey Sam, I really like this girl. She's the best friend of the long-lost mother of your child, and us even being seen to know each other could be taken as suspicious and destroy any chance of you ever seeing your daughter, but hey, I thought I'd go for it anyway because I'm sure you'd be cool with it really!_"

Sam scoffed. "I might have been alright with it."

"No Sam. You wouldn't. And neither would I if I had been in your position."

He paused. "But you had to know that it would have to come out eventually!"

"Of course. But the more I got to know Quinn... I just couldn't give her up. I'm addicted Sam. And then things got more and more complicated. Quinn would invite me to places that I knew Mercedes would be and I would have to make all sorts of excuses not to be there. Then you'd tell me things in passing that I already knew from Quinn and I'd have to pretend that I didn't already know. The longer I left it the harder it got. I knew that one day I would end up meeting Mercedes and I would have to pretend that I didn't know who she was. I was getting more and more tangled up in my lies and deceptions and it was killing me. I just wanted to be with Quinn and have our friendship. I _was_ going to come clean. On Friday. That's why I already texted you to say we should meet for a games night. I'm sick of being shady as shit all the time. I wanted to speak with you alone and hopefully convince you that this could work out somehow.

I owe you all apologies. I owe you Sam, for getting in the middle of your shit and making it more complicated. It wasn't my place to and even though I started with the right intentions it was still wrong of me. I owe Mercedes for creating a scenario that gave her stress and heartache, all out of my own selfishness. And I owe Quinn for the way things began. I thought she was just some blond in a diner but she's so much more than that. She's amazing Sam and being with her… it's just amazing. I know I started out for the wrong reason but I carried on for the right ones. She's special Sam. It's been a long time since I've felt that way about anyone. Hell, I'm not sure I've ever felt that way about anyone. This isn't like it was with Sugar. This is real. And I can't lose her Sam. I know that I haven't known her for long but I already know that losing her would break my heart the same way that losing you would break my heart.

I need you _both_ in my life and I will do whatever it takes to fix that. However long it takes, I promise to do everything in my power to rebuild your trust in me and Quinn's trust in us."

How the hell was he supposed to stay mad with that kind of a speech?

Sam turned around to respond to Puck and saw two figures in the doorway. "How long have you guys been there?" he asked quietly. Puck immediately spun around in shock.

"Long enough." Mercedes' expression was stern but no longer as hard as it was before. Her arm was still around Quinn who looked as if she was falling to pieces. "Noah, I am expecting an epic apology from you, complete with bells and whistles on top and so is Sam. So epic, in fact, that there's no way you would be able to pull it off right now even if you tried. You need to go away and _plan_ how to apologize for the shit you've made me and Sam feel for the last half hour. But I'm a patient girl, I can wait. And Sam loves you so I'm sure he can wait too. My friend here, on the other hand, you have ripped to shreds this evening. I suggest you take her away right now, talk to her, be honest with her and fix your shit with her first and foremost. Then we'll be waiting."

Puck turned to look at Sam for his reaction but Sam was saying nothing. There was nothing that could be said to Mercedes when she was in full Dionne Carter mode. Let no man say that Sam Evans is not a fast learner!

Instead of speaking Sam simply nodded to his friend who pulled a slightly resistant Quinn by the waist and led her to the door. "Guys' I'm really sorry again-"

"Just go before I stop feeling so forgiving!" Mercedes' tone said that she was still taking no prisoners and luckily Puck was clever enough to do as he was told.

Quinn turned and hugged her friend one last time before they disappeared.

Sam never actually did get a proper introduction.

Mercedes went straight in to the kitchen leaving him standing in the hall at a complete loss. After a couple of minutes he followed and found her at the sink, silently washing the dishes from dinner and food preparation.

"Mercedes, why are you washing up when you have a perfectly good dishwasher right there?"

She didn't turn around and he hoped that she wasn't crying. Her voice didn't sound like she was. "I don't know. Habit I suppose. I feel the need to keep my hands busy right now."

"I know what you mean." Sam took a towel and stood next to her, drying the items as she washed and stacking them into a neat pile on the side because he didn't know where they went. He could see that she was troubled.

"I'm glad that's over."

"So am I!" That whole Puck thing was totally unexpected and random as hell. He was going to say something else when he came to a sudden realization. "It was more than what happened just now that you're currently upset about. We were interrupted from out little conversation."

She released a long slow breath. "This afternoon at the park is going to stay with me for a long time."

"You should have let me say something!"

"Not in front of Chey. She didn't even notice what happened and I don't want to teach her hate. When you're a mom you have to think more about the consequences of your actions."

Much as he wanted to argue, he knew that what she said made sense. It just didn't take away the hurt though.

"Then there's that whole thing with your friend, Sam. It was so weird. For a second I was so sure that it was some huge conspiracy. And it came so close to ruining what we've just built up."

"I know. And I'm so relieved that it didn't. And I totally get you on the whole wondering if it was a conspiracy tho. I thought the same thing. And it's easily done. Can you believe for a horrible moment I wondered if maybe my brother was behind what Rachel had done to us with the sonogram. He wasn't but I felt terrible for the idea of it even crossing my mind. I learned then that sometimes people take it upon themselves to do stupid things without thinking through the consequences. But this time… I just don't get it. Puck used to be an idiot, but since he became a father he actually grew up. I just don't understand how he suddenly became so stupid all over again!"

"You heard him Sam. He just got caught up. We're all fools when it comes to love Sam. It causes even the most sensible, rational people to take leave of their senses."

"Damn right it does. Do you know how close I came to ripping him a new one when I saw him at the door?"

"Well I'm glad we gave him the chance to talk and clear it up quickly."

"_We? _No Mercedes. That was all you. The way you took charge was awesome. For a second there you reminded me of your mom, all no nonsense and logic with 'a take no prisoners' attitude. It was scary but also sort of sexy at the same time."

A frown. "You think my mom is sexy?"

_Oh hell that just came out totally wrong!_

"Nooo!" He blushed, feeling mortified. "Not that your mom isn't hot, but-"

Her eyebrow was arched and an amuzed smile ghosted her lips and he knew that she was enjoying making him suffer.

"Your mom scares me. But there's something about a woman taking control- Oh you know what I'm trying to say."

"Nope." She smiled wider. "You're going to have to spell it out."

Elbowing her in the ribs as he took another wet plate. "Quit trying to make me squirm!"

"Why? Let me have my moment of fun after all the shit that's gone down today!"

She did have a point. But then he remembered he had to tell her something that was going to make her shit day even shittier. He'd been looking for a good opportunity all day but it had never happened and he lowered his head in anticipation of her reaction. "I had really hoped that today was going to be a good day because I had something to say to you which isn't great news. Well, I actually have good news and bad news but I was hoping that the excitement from the good news would make the bad news sound not so bad-" He was rambling. Somehow she always seemed to make him end up doing that. But at the same time he was feeling uncomfortable because he had just made her look really sad again. And he hated to be the one having that effect on her.

She sighed and looked straight at him. "Sam, just say what you have to say. If we've learned anything from this evening it's about honesty and saying things when they need to be said instead of holding them back and making things blow out of all proportion. So please… I'm tired and I just need you to say your piece and go so that I can get some sleep."

The thought if her wanting him to get out did hurt, but he also understood that she had a lot to process from the day so it was understandable. "I'll try to keep this simple. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Sam, today has been full of bad news. Hit me with the good and I'll decide if I just want to hold off and get you to call me with the bad tomorrow. Lord knows I need to hear something positive right now."

"Okay. So do you remember when we first set up these times for me to see Chey and I asked if I could get her a birthday present?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, at the time I already had an idea of what the present would be, but I didn't know you that well by then and didn't want to seem presumptuous…"

Mercedes scoffed. "Yeah because buying someone a house or a car doesn't seem in the least bit presumptuous…"

"Come on Mercedes, I'm trying here!"

"Okay. I'm listening. What is it that you've spent an obscene amount of money on for our daughter now? Because, you know, small kids aren't into diamonds, antiques, fine art and gold bullion in quite the same way that adults are you know!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I know that. And I know that money can't buy things like time either. But what it _can_ do is help to make the most of that time by making great memories."

"Memories?"

"Yeah. So the question is, what are you doing the last weekend of this month?"

She frowned, instantly suspicious. "I don't know. Quinn and I usually celebrate payday with a meal or something. Nothing fancy. Is this something tied to a certain weekend? Can it be the week after?"

"No. Not really. But that's the bad news that you don't want to hear about yet."

"Okay…" Her suspicion deepened. "So going back to the good, what were you thinking of?"

"We take Chey on a trip to Disney!"

"A _what_?"

"You heard me!"

"I did!"

"Think about it Mercedes. Imagine her little face when she gets there. She'd love it! And it'll be some proper time without me always having to rush off after a couple of hours."

"I thought you're always busy."

"I am. But I can shift things a bit if we do it that weekend. I have meetings the Friday lunchtime and Monday mid-morning, but if we leave Friday late afternoon and come back first thing Monday morning it won't break our routines too much and we'd have two clear days in one of the parks."

"Sam, you can't just take-"

"I'm not taking just Chey, I'm taking both of you! I never got to go to Disney with my parents and I always wished that I could have done. Besides, I think we all need to spend some quality time together."

"As a family?"

"Yeah. As a family."

She frowned. "And what does your girlfriend have to say about you spending the weekend away with another woman?"

"It's not that kind of trip Mercedes!"

"I know, but as a woman my point still stands!"

"Stop overthinking this! It'll be the last time I get to see you guys for a while and I just wanted it to be something special and memorable."

Mercedes immediately stopped what she was doing. "What do you mean by the last time I get to see you for a while?"

"Shit! That was the bad news bit that you didn't want to hear yet!"

"Well the cat's out the bag now so please just finish explaining."

"I have to go to Europe. My company is opening flagship hotels in London, Paris and Rome and I need to be there for the pre-launches and launches. Stevie was supposed to be the one to go but he can't because of the babies on the way. And, well, this whole Chey thing's been pretty unexpected."

She stayed silent for a while. "How long will you be gone?"

"A little over four months."

"Four months!"

"I'll be popping back! You know, for when Holly has the babies and the holidays and stuff." He started to fidget with his hands.

"So there'll be no visits for Chey for _four_ months?"

"I told you I'll pop back when I can, and each time I do I promise to make time to see her while I'm here."

"Hmph!"

"Please Mercedes. I knew that I would have to but I didn't realize it would be this soon and for that long. I don't have much of a choice in this. It's my living. It's my family's living which means indirectly it's yours too. I'd love to just spend my whole time sitting behind a massive desk just pushing paper around but there's much more to it than that. We may now have several different interests outside of the original ones, but ultimately we are a family company we still need to represent."

"I know. It's just that… well Chey's just getting used to the routine of seeing you once a week."

"I know. And I was supposed to have a little more time before this happened but things changed. It was out of my control. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Not as sorry as I am. But I guess there's not a lot I can do about that." She looked slightly bitter, but also slightly sad.

They stood silently for a moment. "So what do you say about Disney Mercedes? Do you see more than ever why I think we should do it?"

She sighed. "If I agree to Disney then you have to tell Chey yourself that you'll be away. She should hear it from you."

Sam nodded. "Okay, I can do that."

"Good."

He was still waiting for his answer to the other question though. "So you'll do Disney?"

She smiled lightly. "I've always wanted to go Sam and I'm working on being gracious so yes to Disney. I know Chey will love it."

Sam grinned like a child himself. "Leave it all to me. You'll love it too!"

Again she stood silently again before releasing a sigh. Reaching over for the container of cookies she handed them over to him. He got the message. "I guess I'd better be going now."

"Yeah. It's been a long day."

"It has." She looked up at him and her eyes were a little glassy. "Thanks for everything though. Taking us out to the zoo and wanting to stick up for me and trying to make me feel better about myself."

"I meant everything that I sai-"

"And especially for not killing Puck and getting blood on my brand new hard wood floor."

She was deflecting. He knew she was. But he also knew that he was going to get nothing more from her tonight.

"Thanks for the cookies Mercedes."

She nodded as she followed him out to the hall and watched him put on his shoes before holding the door open for him to leave. As he started to step through she touched his arm lightly and he stopped to face her. "Don't be upset Sam. It's not you I'm mad with, even if you did end the day by saying you're going to disappear from me for months. I'm not mad at you for that."

"I know. But the other stuff. I just wish I could-"

"Shhh…" She raised her finger to his lips. "You've already done more than you could ever know. Goodnight Sam."

"Night Mercedes."

And then she closed the door, leaving him standing staring at the hard wood for a moment, relieved that for once he was not the problem but at the same time, wishing that he could fix whatever the hell that needed fixing.

* * *

Mercedes was still feeling like lead the next morning. Everything took twice as much effort. Even the thought of seeing Blaine did nothing to lift her spirits. Suddenly everything he did was totally gay! How did she miss it? He wasn't feminine in any way. Just… couldn't explain it. But every time she looked at him, all she could hear Sam's voice saying 'gay gay gay gay gay…'

How dare he ruin that for her? Did he have any idea how much harder it was suddenly going to be to get up early in the mornings?

After her session and her shower she stood in front of the mirror. Yes there were slight alterations in her shape. Very slight. The diet and exercise was doing something. Just not enough. She thought back to the girls in the zoo. She didn't want to and she definitely didn't mean to but their words kept echoing around her head. Sam thought she was just upset about their comments on her size, and she _was_ upset about that. But it was also the implications they'd made about her sleeping with Sam. Some of those were closer to the truth than any of them had realized and she wanted to die of shame.

Just as she got dressed for her day, thinking about Quinn and _that_ particular turn of events, she received a text from the girl herself. It was a little bit cryptic, cancelling their standing lunch arrangement but inviting herself over in the evening.

She spent the day feeling as though she was walking through water. She hated this feeling. She recognized it and knew that it wasn't any good. Since she'd come off the medication for her depression she knew what the warning signs were and promised herself that she would pay attention. Focusing on Quinn helped, as did a text from Sam checking if she was alright. He didn't need to do that but it meant a lot. Especially as she had all but pushed him out of the house last night, through no fault of his own. It was all just that little bit too much.

Somehow she did manage to get through the day. And not only that, she managed to avoid touching the container of cookies on the kitchen counter that Quinn had forgotten to take with her in the midst of all the drama the night before.

It was called progress. A small triumph but she was proud of it nonetheless.

Despite the day dragging forever, somehow Chey was in bed and Quinn was at the door clutching a bottle of wine and the world's largest smile.

Mercedes flung her arms around her friend before pulling back and looking at her friend. "Well it looks like _someone's _had some really good sex recently!"

Quinn turned scarlet and cast her eyes to the ground.

Mercedes chuckled. "Okay, scratch that, I was wrong. Someone's had _repeated_ really good sex recently!"

Quinn turned to leave and Mercedes laughed, grabbing her friend by the waist and already feeling lighter than she had all day. He friend's face said it all, and despite the drama she was happy for her. Pulling her into the kitchen while she hunted for the corkscrew she begged for details.

"I couldn't believe you canceled on our diner lunch date! Then when I thought about it, I suddenly realized that the only reason you would ever cancel is if you weren't at work in the first place. And if you weren't at work then you were throwing a sickie so that you could stay in bed all day. And as you don't have the same level of appreciation for staying in bed all day with a really good book as I do, it was clearly a matter of you staying in bed with something else _really good_! Am I right or am I right miss Quinn Fabray?"

The fit of coughing from her friend told her that she was right.

When her friend had finally regained her composure she looked at her seriously. "Are you really okay with this Mercedes? Because with everything that he did…"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't have let him leave with you." She noted Quinn's relieved expression. "It doesn't mean I'm not pissed as hell with his shady ass, but hearing him talk about you, and hearing the way you talk about him, and seeing how sexy as shit he is… hey!" Mercedes laughed as Quinn nudged her, nearly spilling her wine. "It's true though. He was stupid, but from the way that you and Sam talk about him, underneath those sexy eyes, olive skin and ripped muscles is a decent person."

Quinn nodded. "He is. You should have seen him last night. He literally had tears in his eyes begging me to forgive him. I just couldn't resist!"

"I wouldn't have either." She took another sip of her wine. "But one thing I do have to say, is that I strongly suspect that you two are rapidly falling in _like_ with each other!"

"Stopit Mercy!"

"No. The way he reacted at the table when he saw you upset last night... It was killing him. We could all see it clear as day!"

"I don't think-"

"Quit being in denial! It's plain to see and I'm really not upset by it. I actually think it's pretty cool that we'll be able to hang out with our best friends."

"Really?"

"Really. But you guys best not break up now because Sam and I are not up for all that whole side taking shit…"

* * *

Tuesday was better. She felt lighter despite the slight hangover from her session with Quinn. She'd eaten less at dinner to save calories for the wine, forgetting that the alcohol was going to then be hitting a near empty stomach. It was something she was going to have to think through a little better next time.

But at least Quinn had remembered to take the cookies away with her this time so that was something.

After work and collecting Chey from kindergarten she went on a much needed shopping trip with her mom. Artie was taking her away for the weekend and she wanted to get a few new things. With the help of her new account, Mercedes was able to make sure that she got a _lot_ of new things. After all, the way she saw it, her mom deserved a cut of the child support backpay for all that she did for Chey over the years, especially when Mercedes was laid up with her depression. But she refused to accept a cent and Mercedes was having to resort to more devious means to show her appreciation.

Wednesday _was_ bad. She had dropped Chey off to kindergarten and crawled right back into bed fully clothed with the curtains shut.

She didn't want the light.

Why should she have light?

She nearly ignored the knock at the door, but whoever it was, was damned persistent. Dragging herself to the door she was met by a huge bunch of flowers and a beautiful fruit basket. The card on the flowers said '_just because…_' and the one on the fruit basket said '_smile_'. That was then she noticed the fruit was arranged at a smiley face. She initially was going to rip it open to wipe the smirk of its face before coming to her senses and deciding to leave it for Chey to have fun opening.

She knew they were from Sam. Only he would think to do random idiotic stuff like that.

At first she cried. She was still feeling unexplainedly rough, but there were definitely some tears of thanks and appreciation too. Then she looked at the stupid fruity face again.

And she smiled.

How the hell did he know what she'd needed right at that very moment? Even she hadn't known herself?

That evening she made sure that she and Chey called Sam to thank him for the flowers and fruit, and they arranged for an outing to the park at the weekend.

Thursday and Friday were better. Not perfect, but better. Sam told her that he had spoken with Puck and they had worked things out.

Apparently Puck was working hard on his epic apology for Mercedes.

* * *

Sam finished typing his message and put his phone back in his pocket. When he had sent Mercedes a text to say that he had overslept and was running late, she had replied that Chey was sick and the weather was damp so they'd have to postpone their planned trip to the park. She was happy to accommodate him another day if that suited him better if he wanted to make the most out of it. But as he was up and dressed he still wanted to pop by, even for a short visit today, especially if she was sick. Then they could do the park another time.

"We should go away for a weekend." Kirsten's voice punctuated his thoughts.

It was not something that Sam wanted to hear so he pretended he didn't and continued perched on the edge of the bed, getting dressed.

"Did you hear me Sam?"

"Huh?" He finally resigned himself to having to go down this line of conversation.

"I said that we should go away for a weekend. You're always so busy. We never spend time together anymore." She raised herself up onto one elbow so that she could lean forward and prod him for attention.

He scowled, partly out of annoyance but mostly out of guilt. "I spent the day with you yesterday, didn't I? You've been nagging that I don't come over so I came."

"Yeah. But that was the first day in ages. And you didn't even want to go anywhere. We used to go out to parties and clubs all the time. What happened to that? Who wants to just stay in when they finally get together?"

"Someone who wants to actually try and have some quality time with their girlfriend!" He snapped back.

"It's like being a boring married couple. And you're so snappy lately too. I get that work has been stressing you out but it's not my fault."

She was pouting now, and somehow it wasn't nearly as cute as it used to be. "I told you weeks ago that this was going to happen. As the Europe trip gets closer I have more and more stuff to do." The guilt got worse. He'd had to move heaven and earth to clear his schedule on his final weekend in order to go away with Mercedes and Chey. But none of that was any of her business. "Besides, you're coming to London with me."

"Only for three days!"

"That was the fault of your work, not mine! I wanted you to come for a week!"

The pout stayed firmly in place. "I just don't understand why Stevie can't do it. Isn't he the one that's supposed to be in charge?"

"We're both in charge. He says he needs me in Europe and I'm going." Sam couldn't tell her the real reason because he hadn't yet broken the news about Holly's pregnancy.

She stayed quiet before speaking softly. "Is it because you don't love me anymore?"

Sam sighed. "What the hell does that mean?"

"You're distracted, you're grouchy, you're suddenly always busy, even at the weekends and you're constantly cancelling on me to disappear off to goodness knows where."

He could see her point.

"My sister thinks you're having an affair!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I am _not_ having an affair. When the hell am I supposed to be finding time to have an affair? And who with?"

"I don't know." Kirsten stretched her long toned legs and pulled the sheet more firmly around her breasts. "You have to admit, something has changed between us. We used to be out together all the time and you couldn't keep your hands off me!"

Sam tried to discreetly look at the clock to check the time without moving his head too much. _Shit! He had wanted to be at Mercedes' in forty five minutes and she was a one hour drive away! _"Look, can we have this deep and meaningful another time, because as I've been saying since I woke up this morning, I am late!" He grabbed his keys from the dresser next to the bed and looked hard at the blue eyed redhead who was now sitting up against the headboard, clearly distressed by his tone.

He rubbed his chin, listening to the scratching of the stubble that he hadn't had time to shave off this morning and felt rotten for the way he was treating her. "Look Kirsten, I'm sorry. I overslept this morning and I'm late and you know how frustrated and annoyed I get when I'm running late! I know and I accept I haven't been paying enough attention to us and I promise that's going to end right now. My plans for today have changed slightly and I'm going to be free earlier so what do you say I come straight back here to pick you up later, we can go out to town for a nice meal and cocktails and you can crash over at mine?"

Her eyes instantly lit up and the pout was gone. It was exactly her kind of night. She loved to be out, about and seen. "Okay. We can do that."

He leaned over her and placed a soft kiss on her lips and she raised her hands to cradle his neck, knowing that it would make the sheet fall from around her chest. But she underestimated Sam's willpower and motivation for leaving that morning as he disentangled himself from her grip.

"Love you!" She called as he disappeared through the door and he dramatically turned on his heel and blew her a kiss before disappearing completely.

It wasn't until he was in the car and on the freeway that he realized he hadn't said 'I love you' back today.

* * *

"Yay you came!" Chey ran up to him and clung to his legs while he was still trying to take off his shoes. Mercedes had bought him his own personal pair of novelty slippers which made him smile.

"Hey Annie!" He picked her up and swung her around making her giggle excitedly. "So what's going on with you?"

"I'm sick!" She said proudly, with a huge smile.

He looked at her carefully. Other than the fact that she was still in her pajamas and wearing a robe, she looked no different to how she normally did. She shot a look at Mercedes who was leaning against the wall, watching their encounter with a smile and she rolled her eyes back at him.

"Really now?" He looked back at his daughter and she smiled shyly. "So what's wrong with you?"

"I have a fever and my tummy hurts."

He crouched down and touched her forehead. It was slightly warm but she didn't seem in any distress.

"Carry me?"

Hell he'd do whatever she wanted him to do! Carrying them into the lounge, he sat them both on the couch. "When you said she had a fever I imagined her lying in bed with you mopping her brow with a cool damp towel!"

That made her break into a glorious laugh. "She'd love that. I'm sure she could play the classic Jane Austen 'I went out in the rain for five minutes and now I'm at death's door with a trifling cold' scene and win an Oscar for it! But seriously, welcome to parenthood. She was far worse this morning but I gave her some medicine and she's bouncing happily like it never happened. But her tummy isn't right and if she doesn't improve by tomorrow I'll take her to the doctor."

He watched as she moved from his lap to the selection of pillows and blankets covering most of the couch and snuggled herself down. "See? She would still be jumping around if she was well."

That was true. But he was still happy to be reassured with his own eyes that she was not as sick as he had envisioned when he first received her message. Leaving Chey to snuggle down in front of her cartoon he followed Mercedes into the kitchen. "And how are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. And thanks again for the flowers. They were unexpected and really did make my day."

"It's nothing Mercedes. I've been thinking about you all week with what happened at the zoo…" It was true. He had, which is why he'd had Maddie get a spontaneous bouquet of flowers sent. Then out of guilt he'd got her to send a bunch to Kirsten too, who unlike Mercedes, didn't even bother to text him to say thanks.

"I know. And I'm over it now."

"Are you? Because we never got to finish our conversation-"

"Really Sam. I said its fine. I've already put it behind me. I already learned a long time ago that the more you dwell on what girls like that say the more power they have over you. I won't let crazy bitches have power over me."

"That's good to hear. Because they're not worth it." She was avoiding his eyes and he was sure that she was still far more hurt than she let on.

"But something is bothering you."

"Please Sam. I know you mean well, but can we not do this right now. Please?"

"I just-"

"I know. And sometimes you're just too nice to me. That's one of the reasons I sort of tried to deflect you today. Last week ended up being really intense. I can't do that this time."

Strangely enough, he understood. "Do you want me to go?"

"No! No. You're here to see Chey not me."

"I'm here for both of you. If something upsets you then it affect Chey and therefore it is my business."

She chuckled. "Maybe you should change career and apply for a job as a superhero."

"Mercedes I-"

"Don't worry, I know. As someone who's had a lifetime of fighting her own battles it just seems so weird for someone to take something on that they really don't have to."

"Momma?" She turned her eyes to see the tear streaked distressed face of Chey standing in the doorway. "Momma I made a mess…"

"Oh baby! It's okay." Mercedes immediately scooped up her little one. Sam went to follow but she shook her head. "I need to run a bath for Chey. Stay here and feel free to fix yourself a drink or something-"

They were already gone before she could finish the sentence.

It took Sam a few seconds to work out what the problem might have been before remembering that kids can't handle illness in the same way that adults can. Now he understood why Mercedes didn't mind postponing the visit.

After her animation when he had first arrived, Chey was suddenly far more sedate. Now dressed in a fresh set of pajamas she looked a little paler than before. While Mercedes prepared them some lunch Sam sat with her in the lounge, trying to encourage her to drink the warm squash that had been made for her and feeling like a failure when she adamantly and sadly refused. He felt a little better when she finally ate a little of the toast her mom gave her while he and Mercedes had a proper lunch. He could tell that Mercedes was concerned that she wasn't eating so felt proud that he had managed to get her to have something.

All these feelings over a sick child! Who knew? Especially when, after grumbling about her tummy and having more medicine she was suddenly fine again and dragging him to the playroom to show him her new doll's house. But by midafternoon she was tired and he knew that he needed to go himself.

He walked into the lounge to the sight of Mercedes asleep on the couch, partially underneath Chey's blanket. She looked cute all stretch out with her head to the side and her mouth hanging open. Smiling, he tried to creep towards her to take a picture on his phone but she stirred at the sound of movement.

"What are you doing Sam?"

He grinned sheepishly, hating to get caught. "Nothing. You looked so cute sleeping like that."

"I wasn't sleeping!"

He watched as she rubbed her eyes. "Yeah right."

"Well Chey had a bad night last night." She shrugged and pulled herself up. "Where is she anyway?"

"She's put herself to bed. Is that normal by the way?"

"No, not for her. But she will when she's sick. Like I said, we had a bad night." She looked at her watch. "She's not due her next dose of medicine yet so she can sleep for a bit."

"Well I'm going to leave you to have the opportunity to get some rest yourself."

"Thanks Sam." She followed as he headed to the hall to reclaim his shoes. "Did you tell her about your trip yet?"

"No. it didn't seem fair to do it today."

"Well Disney should be a surprise. But _that_ really shouldn't."

Sam felt guilty and he could tell that Mercedes noticed when her expression softened. "You have to learn to take the rough with the smooth Sam. I can't be the bad guy all the time."

"I know." He bent down to tie his shoes. "Look, I've got a meeting on Wednesday afternoon not far from here. How about I came straight here afterwards and we can do bedtime together and I'll tell her then."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Has to be done. She can't hate me forever can she?"

Mercedes smiled. "She'll get over it."

As he opened the door to leave he smiled at her again. "Thanks for letting me come anyway."

"It's no problem. I'm just sorry that she's sick and you didn't get the best of her today."

"That's life. You take care of yourself too. And if there's anything you need, just call me. Okay?"

She grinned up at him. "Yes daddy!"

"Yes daddy indeed…"

* * *

Despite their bickering in the morning, Sam had a good time out with Kirsten. It was more like the old days when they first met. They actually managed to have a laugh although he couldn't help but notice that the quick lunch Mercedes had whipped up in ten minutes was far more delicious than the morsels on his this evening, which were costing him a fair few dollars.

Afterwards, they met with a couple of Kirsten's friends for cocktails in her favorite bar and he watched her as she interacted happily with them. Again he felt guilty as he watched her light up around company. He really wasn't taking the time to do the things that were important to her anymore. How the hell had they managed to go from her wanting to move in together to complaining about them being like an old married couple? Surely it was a contradiction in terms? Stevie and Holly literally _were_ an 'old married couple' and they weren't in the least bit boring. If you care about someone you want to just spend time with them. Like Chey. She was only six and yet his favorite part of the week was being with her, playing with dolls, watching a movie or on the Wii. Everything about his time there made him smile. Even Mercedes, now that they were getting on, made him feel like a good person.

But you don't keep a person around for eight months if you're not serious about them. Right?

Finally it was time for them to make moves and he snatched the remainder of her third cocktail out of her hands.

She frowned at him. "Hey! I was drinking that!"

"Not anymore!"

"Sam! What the hell is wrong with you? Somebody took my fun boyfriend away and replaced him with my dad!"

He chuckled. _Really? _Pulling her close he whispered in her ear. "This boyfriend can be a lot more fun while his girlfriend is still sober enough to make the most of it…"

He nibbled her ear and she giggled and got the point, bidding her friends a hasty goodbye.

By the time they got back to his apartment she was all over him like a rash before pushing him out of the bedroom so shat she could 'get ready'. Smiling to himself he wondered what kind of pretty negligée he'd have the pleasure of ripping off tonight as he quickly flicked through the emails on his phone while he waited.

"Sam?" He turned around with a grin. She'd gotten out of her clothes much faster than expected and he took and appreciative glance at her tall lean long-legged form. "Sam! What the _hell_ is _this_?"

Then he caught sight of the leather bound book in her hand. _Oh shit! He had forgotten that he kept that beside his bed!_

He leaped up and took the book from her. For some reason he didn't even want it in her hands. "It's a book Kirsten."

"I know that! It's the title and the contents I'm more interested in!"

"Who said you could even touch it?" Sam knew he was backed into a corner and there was no way out but the truth. It wasn't as if he was keeping Chey and Mercedes hidden, it was just that for both of them, the information was given on a need to know basis. And as far as he was concerned, Kirsten didn't need to know.

The greatest form of defense is attack…

"So I have a daughter. What's the big deal?" He made his tone as nonchalant at possible.

"That's a huge deal Sam!"

"For me yes, for you, not so much!"

"What do you mean 'for me not so much'? I'm your girlfriend! I have been for ages. I would have thought that having a child is something you would have been upfront about from the beginning!"

"Why? Would that have changed things?"

"Well… no but-"

"But 'well then'! Whether or not I have a child makes no difference!"

"That's not what I'm trying to say Sam. So how many other women have you knocked up over the years?"

"As far as I'm aware, none!"

"But I guess you can never be so sure!"

"What's wrong with you Kirsten? I made a mistake years ago and now I'm just looking after my responsibilities to the child that came from it. I would never abandon her!"

"I guess that's what her mom was counting on when she spread her legs-"

"Hey! I will _not _let you speak of Mercedes like that!"

"Oh so we're on first name terms are we?" Her eyes narrowed "So was this a one-time accident or are you like one of those men who it turns out has this whole other family stashed away somewhere, thinking that 'daddy' just works away from home a lot?"

"Oh come on Kirsten! When exactly would someone as busy as me be able to stash away an entire family without them noticing? Just look at the pictures. It's not like I'm having an affair and just got someone pregnant. This goes way back. You were in high school when this happened for fuck's sake! Yes you are my girlfriend but my whole life is not _about you!"_

She stood still and thought about it for a moment. "Okay, so you having a child in the past may not be such a big deal, but you not telling me about it is!"

"Why?"

"Because... It just is!"

"My family knows. They're the only ones who can legitimately say it's their business to know." For some reason her sense of entitlement annoyed him. "And what's to say that the reason I didn't tell you is because I knew you would react something like this and didn't want to have to deal with it?"

"I wouldn't have made a fuss!"

"So you're not making a fuss now?"

She backed up slightly. "It's just that- seriously, how can you have a child and think it's a minor detail?"

"Kirsten, every time kids have come up in conversation, general conversation, because it's not a conversation we've even had ourselves, you always say how you love your life and having kids can wait for a bit. And that's fine, I totally agree with you. But this girl didn't have the choice. She would have been fresh out of college when we met, her whole life laid out ahead of her. She could have decided that it was the wrong time to have a baby but she didn't. Instead she made that baby her life and I have a _lot _of respect for her for that. She isn't a gold digger and did not come running to me for money. She lives her life and it's a life that doesn't affect you."

"But it does affect you so indirectly it affects me."

That made him raise an eyebrow. "Really? I'll remember that next time you roll your eyes when I do anything with Stacy or Stevie because they're my family and I feel they deserve much more than the one visit every six months that you give your own sister." He felt bad for bringing that up now but it was something that had bothered him for a while. This wasn't the right time to do that. Walking over to her he touched her arm. "Sorry. That was below the belt."

She was silent as she thought about what he just said. "So do you ever see your kid?"

Despite himself Sam smiled. "We have an arrangement." Collecting himself he looked back at Kirsten. "I'm not a monster and I refuse to be one of those absentee fathers who does nothing but send a check every month!" He could see Kirsten softening and was thankful. He pulled her into his arms.

She looked up at him. "So, how long were you with this Mercedes person for?"

Now that was something he really didn't want to get into.

"Not long."

"And you're sure there's nothing more to this?"

"Of course there isn't!" He kissed her softly on the cheek. "If there was, I wouldn't be discreetly edging you back towards my bed now, would I?"

Kirsten giggled and allowed herself to be led back as he nuzzled away at her neck. It was a very pretty negligee and Sam almost felt sorry for the damage he was about to do to it. He sat them down on the edge of the bed and kissed her more deeply, running his thumb down her side as he replaced the book next to his bedside lamp. She was so much better when she wasn't talking.

"Sam?"

"Hmmm…"

"Sam why does the book have to stay there?"

"What?"

She detangled herself from him slightly. "Next to your bed. In pride of place. You never keep anything there but your phone."

"It's because I haven't finished looking at it yet."

"But it's only a book of pictures! How long does that take?"

Sam slipped one of the straps from her shoulder and started peppering kisses on the skin underneath causing her to throw back her head and expose more of her neck.

"Shhh…" He worked his way from her shoulder back to her throat, hoping to distract her from her question until she began to fidget again.

"And why now?"

"It was a birthday present. She's just turned six." The lie came out far too easily and he didn't even care. His fingers were working their way up her ribcage and he could tell the distraction was working.

"But… but if it was _her _birthday why do _you_ get the gift?"

"It's just like a progress report." Sam was tired of all the questions and keen to get off the subject. "Anyway, why all the questions? It sounds as if you're jealous of a little girl!"

"I'm not jealous, I'm-"

"Jealous is hot!" Sam flipped her so that she landed onto her back on the bed with a giggle and him lying on top of her. "Now, if you just put all that passion that's coming out as jealousy into something else, we  
can have a really _really _nice night…"

"Hmmm…" She giggled and he knew that he had finally won her over. Of course he felt bad about lying, he'd lied several times to her today, but that was something he would have to worry about another time. He didn't want her in his business. He wanted her exactly where she was right now, pinned to his bed.

Sam pulled back so that he could remove his shirt, tossing it to the floor. He smirked as she growled at the sight of his abs before crushing her yet again with kisses and roaming hands.

"So tell me," He muttered. "How much is it going to set me back if I rip this delicate piece of hardly there fabric that you're barely wearing?"

Kirsten giggled but before she could answer she was interrupted by the sound of his phone buzzing.

He lifted his head to see who it was but she pulled him back down again. "It can wait." Feeling her hand slide down to his pants he couldn't help but agree, relieved when the phone finally stopped. She was just about to unbuckle his belt when he felt the phone buzz with a message.

Maybe somebody really did need to reach him. Maybe it was Stevie. Maybe something was wrong with Holly! Eyeing the time he noticed it was 12.18am. It wouldn't be a business call at this hour!

"Babe I should just see who it is." Kirsten whined as he picked up the phone and swiped the screen.

"Shit!" He immediately sat up when he saw the name on it.

Mercedes.

He instantly hit playback for the voicemail she had left.

"Who is it?"

Sam shushed her as he waited impatiently to be told by the voicemail that he had been called today at 12.17am… Then he heard her distraught voice.

"Sam… Where are you?... It's Chey she's… she's really sick... We're taking her to hospital... Sam you said if I ever needed… Oh lord- I really need you-" Her words were cut off by sobbing then the message ended. As he heard the words he could literally feel the blood draining from his face.

Sam was already on his feet hitting redial as Kirsten looked up at him.

"Sam? Who was-"

"I have to go!" His shirt was back on and he was grabbing the keys.

"Is something wrong?"

"She's sick. I have to get to the hospital! Don't wait up!"

He was already out the door before Kirsten could reply and the call connected…


	15. The Longest Night

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_**Enjoy the next chapter!**_

* * *

Sam raced to the hospital as fast as he could full of regret. He never should have left them. Not only had it been impossible for him to be entirely truthful with his girlfriend about his extra 'family', he wasn't there when Mercedes needed him most! The thought that he had been busy 'getting busy' and hadn't initially taken the call ate at him but he pushed all other thoughts away out of concern for his baby.

Racing to the reception desk he nearly shouted at the people in front of him who were being entirely _too slow!_

"I'm looking for my daughter! She came in with stomach pains!"

"And her name?"

"Cheyenne . Cheyenne Evans."

There was a pause and the reception nurse looked up at him carefully. "We don't have a Cheyenne Eva-"

"Jones! It's Jones. Her mom's name. Is she here? Is she okay? I need to speak with someone who knows what's going on!"

She looked at him carefully before turning and calling another nurse over and speaking to her briefly. The second nurse looked up at Sam and he could have screamed at the slowness of her movements. "Your daughter is in pediatrics. I'll take you over there."

"_Thankyou!_"

He hadn't meant to sound rude but the frustration was getting to him and the nurse in scrubs was taking far too long to come around the desk.

"Come with me sir."

_Finally!_

"Can you tell me what's wrong with my daughter?"

"I'm not treating her so I don't know anything. I'm just taking you to pediatrics. They'll be able to give you more information."

He followed as she led him through several sets of double doors in silence. For someone who worked in an Emergency Room there was not nearly enough urgency in her movements. He was about to say something when they went through a final set of doors and reached another reception desk.

The woman sat behind it was wearing a highly patterned pediatric apron over her scrubs but looked as if she were about a hundred years old.

The first nurse jerked her head towards Sam. "He's here about the abdominal pain."

"The abdo- Oh yes! You must be Sam!" She looked up with a smile which instantly halved her age. "Mom said you were coming."

_Finally, someone who seemed to have a clue!_

"How is she? What's wrong with my baby? Is she going be okay?"

"She's comfortable. The doctors are running some tests and will come speak to you when they have a little more information. I'll take you through."

"Thanks." Sam followed the far more pleasant woman and she stopped outside a room. Peering through the glass first, she opened the door and waved him inside.

Mercedes had jerked her head up at the sound of movement at the door. The first thing he noticed was that the room was only dimly lit, probably because Chey was asleep, slightly curled up on her side facing her mother. In her arm was a clear drip but thankfully no beeping heart monitors, oxygen masks or other scary equipment. By the time he had taken this in, Mercedes was already up and wrapped around him, her arms squeezing so tightly around him that breathing was slightly more difficult.

"Sam!"

Her voice was a sob and he pulled her closer. "Shhhh. I'm here."

He held her as she sobbed into his arms, trying hard not to feel a sense of dejavu. He didn't want to. There were far more serious things at stake right now. His poor baby looked so tiny. She already looked tiny in her own bed, but here it was just so much worse! "What happened Mercedes?"

She took a few raggedy breaths and pulled back to wipe her swollen eyes. "It was awful. She was screaming and crying. I've never seen her in so much pain…" Again she had to stop and cling to him a little longer. "I called the doctor and he said call an ambulance and they brought her straight in and did lots of tests…"

He heard a murmur and watched as Chey moved in her sleep but didn't wake. Mercedes flew out of his arms and back to her side, gently stroking the little girl's face and hair soothingly.

Sam pulled up another chair and sat next to her. Cheyenne looked pale.

"What's in the IV?"

"Just saline. She's dehydrated. After the toast she had with you she refused to eat and only drank a few sips. Oh Sam… You should have heard her Sam. It hurt me so much to hear her cry like that and not be able to do anything to help!"

She looked up at him and for the first time since he arrived in the room he truly looked at her. She was a mess. Her face and eyes were puffy and swollen, her hair was up in a messy bun, the ugly sweats were back and teamed up with a mismatched cardigan which looked like it was pulled over a pajama top. And yet somehow, she still looked slightly cute and motherly.

"It'll be okay Mercedes."

"Will it?"

He really didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he could begin to think of the possibility of things not being okay. _What if Chey was seriously sick? What if it was terminal? What if-_

She seemed to recollect herself a little more and remembered her manners. "Thanks for coming Sam. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"You didn't disturb me. I'm glad you called. It means a lot." He rubbed her back, unsure of exactly how much physical contact he should initiate but knowing he had to feel connected to her somehow. "I'm her daddy. This is exactly where I should be."

Mercedes said nothing, staring at Cheyenne and allowing Sam to rub soothing circles on her back.

"Did the doctor say what it is yet?"

She shook her head. "They did tests, took blood and gave her something for the pain and the sickness. It already seemed to be calming down by the time we got here but they weren't taking any chances."

Sam thought through his contacts. "If we need to get specialists or second opinions I just need to make one call and we can get the best of the best."

"Let's just see what they say here first. She already looks calmer. Hopefully what it was will pass."

Sam looked at the little girl sleeping fitfully and didn't feel reassured. There had to be something that could be done. To sit here unable to help was the worst thing in the world. There really _had_ to be something he could do. Somebody he could call.

And then he noticed.

"Where's Dionne?"

"She's away. Artie took her on a surprise trip for the weekend and they fly back tomorrow morning. I didn't want to worry her when she's away and there's not a lot she can do when her flight is only a few hours away. She'll get the message as soon as she gets home tomorrow and I can deal with her reaction when I actually have something to tell her. Besides, I'm doing the doctors a favor. She'd be giving them hell if she was here right now."

Sam couldn't help but agree.

She looked up at him again. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't interrupt anything when I called."

He shook his head. "No. You didn't interrupt anything. I was just climbing into bed." The smell of burning underpants was overwhelming but he powered through. It was only half a lie and thankfully she turned her head before she could see the embarassed flush that crept through his face.

Fingering Chey's curls, her voice was soft. "I still feel bad though."

"Don't be. I _want_ to be here. I should never have left you this afternoon. Chey was sick and you were tired. I should have been more supportive and I'm sorry."

She turned and frowned at him. "Don't be crazy Sam. I told you she was fine. Kids have coughs and cold and upset tummies all the time. You're not expected to hang around for it. Besides, I was the one who suggested you stay home and _you_ insisted on coming by anyway. So don't sweat it."

Sam opened his mouth to reply but wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the idea that she didn't expect him to be around for it.

Looking back at Chey, Mercedes placed a hand on the little girl's hip. "Believe it or not she already looks a lot better."

"Really?"

"Yes Sam. Before she was all curled up and clenched and now she's much more relaxed. And you have no idea just how much your being here is helping to feel better too."

He smiled soothingly. "I'm just glad to be of help!"

She forced a watery smile in return. "Don't get too ahead of yourself Sam!"

They sat silently for a moment and Sam started to feel anxious.

"Maybe I should go and see what's taking the doctor so long..."

"Sam, its fine. They're probably waiting for test results. There's no use in getting them to come when they have nothing to tell us. If they were concerned they would be here in a shot."

"But-"

"But nothing! You're exactly where I need you to be right now." He released a heavy sigh and realized just how tired she must be. She'd already admitted to having had a bad night previously and now it was after 2am with no hope of sleep for tonight either.

"Can I get you anything? A coffee? Or… anything at all?"

She shook her head and indicated towards the jug of water and paper cup on the table by the bed. Looking around the room he realized that it was actually quite nice with animal murals on the wall and a restful, non-hospital like décor. It was good to know that their expensive insurance was being put to good use.

"If you want to go and get something for yourself-"

"No. I'm fine."

She sighed heavily. "I'm just so tired Sam."

"I know. I'm here so you can rest your eyes a little bit. Chey's asleep and seems pretty comfortable."

"No. I want to wait for the doctor first."

"Mercedes. It's fine. I'm here. The second anybody walks in through that door I will let you know. Now just shut your eyes, even for a moment. It will help the time pass faster and make you feel a little better."

She looked tempted but he could tell she was still fighting it. "Please?" If she needed him to beg he probably would. "For Chey. She needs you to have the energy to fight for her. And we both know you'll need the energy to deal with your mom when she gets here!"

The watery smile was back. "Just five minutes."

"Just five minutes."

She leaned forward and put her head on the pillow next to Chey before closing her eyes and sighing softly. Sam didn't miss the single tear that had rolled down her cheek before her face hit the pillow and she turned her head to be completely face-down on the pillow. Sam suspected it was to hide her face and tears from him as much as anything else.

He smoothed her hair gently, the way that she had smoothed Chey's and felt helpless as to how to comfort her. Rubbing her back again seem weird and could potentially interrupt her rest. His eyes cast over Chey as she slept, breathing slow and even and her form now still. There was a line taped to the back of her hand and clear fluid dripped slowly into her. He wanted to touch her and comfort her but she looked so fragile that he feared she might break or bruise if he even looked at her too hard.

In the end he took a risk. He put his hand over the hand that Mercedes already had over her hip. That way all three of them were connected together. Holding his breath he waited for Mercedes to brush him away but she didn't. After a moment her fingers lifted and spread, causing his to fall in the gaps between them before clasping them closed again. Together.

Sam slowly released his breath as he stared at their joined hands. It was mostly his hand because hers was small and swamped underneath his, but now their fingers were laced together, his lean and long, hers slender and petite. He could see clearly how they contrasted yet complemented each other. A bit like their personalities.

Sam didn't know how long they stayed like that, silently connected, taking strength from each other. He took in the sight of mother and daughter and felt thankful to finally be included in that precious bond. Before long there was a quiet tap on the door and it was opened by a nurse. Sam gently squeezed Mercedes hand and she stirred, slowly rising upright and rubbing her eyes. He removed their hands from Chey's hip but didn't let go as she smiled at both of them.

"Hi again! I'm just going to re-do her obs. The doctor will be here in moments."

Mercedes clearly recognized her and allowed her space to access Chey and watched as she put a pulse oxometer on her finger and took her temperature. She made notes on Chey's chart and was just checking over the IV bag when a smart looking young doctor holding a slim folder approached them.

"Hi. I'm doctor Karofsky and I've been treating Cheyenne ." He picked up and flicked through her chart, adding his own papers. Without letting go Sam moved his hand so that it was now palm to palm with Mercedes, fingers still intertwined, and he felt as she gave him a slight squeeze.

"You'll be pleased to know that I have her blood results back, and other than showing signs of infection they were all fine. How's she been doing?" The doctor smiled at them reassuringly.

"She's quiet now." Said Mercedes. "She's stayed asleep and hasn't been sick again."

"That's really good news. Early indications suggest it's nothing serious. We need to wait a few more hours for the culture results but at this point it looks most almost certain that she's suffering from some sort of gastric infection. We'll know more with the results of the culture. The pain was likely due to bowel spasms caused by the diarrhea. That would explain the sudden onset, as well as the fact that they're spontaneously resolving on their own. You did the right thing to bring her here as we needed to make sure we could exclude the more sinister potential causes of such sudden acute abdominal pain. Anything that puts a child in so much distress needs to be checked out. Do you have any questions?"

"Will she be able to come home soon if she's getting better?"

Dr Karofsky started writing something on her chart. "I'd like to observe her for the next twelve hours and see how she is before considering discharge. At this point it's important to let her rest. I'll be back to examine her tummy more thoroughly in the morning and we can discuss potential discharge times then. In the meantime, we'll keep her hydrated for the rest of the night and see how she gets on with some food in the morning."

"Thankyou doctor."

"And you're sure that it's nothing serious?" Sam finally found his voice.

"As sure as I can be. There's been no red flags on her results so far, and as you can see for yourself she's already starting to look better. It's distressing to see your child in pain. Children are resilient and recover quickly, but it's still important to check her out thoroughly."

"Doe she need any medicine?"

"At this point it seems unlikely. She's already fighting it all on her own. Antibiotics at this point would make little difference and I believe prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily is more likely to cause problems rather than solve them. She's had things to settle the fever and the upset stomach. We'll keep with the hydration as that's the thing that's helping her the most right now and hopefully by morning she'll be off that too." He replaced the chart at the end of the bed. "She is doing well, but if you need anything or notice any change just alert the nurses and I'll be right down."

"Thanks again."

"No problem."

He left and shut the door quietly behind him. Sam let out a slow sigh of relief and smiled at Mercedes. "That was good news!"

"Yeah. I was so worried." She let go of his hand to reach into her purse and he missed the feel of their connection. Pulling out her phone she left a second message for her mom saying they'd spoken with the doctor and it's not too serious but they just want to observe Chey for the next few hours. Then she looked back at him. "Thanks for coming Sam, I really appreciated you being here."

He frowned. "Appreciated? You're not sending me away again are you?"

"Sam, I know you're a busy man. You have to be at work in a few hours. I'm not going to take up anymore of your precious time."

The frown turned into a scowl. "Mercedes, you are _not _sending me away again. I should never have left you alone this afternoon and I sure as hell am not going anywhere right now. So far the hospital staff haven't chucked me out and even if they try I'm going to put up a fight. Chey is my daughter too. We _share_ this from now on. Work can wait. My child is more important. _You're _more important. When are you going to realize that?"

Mercedes said nothing and looked back at Chey. Sam knew not to push her any further and softened his voice. "Look, I feel bad for leaving earlier and would like to be here to see what the doctor says when he gets back. Would that be okay?"

She nodded without looking at him.

"And anyway. I think I'd really like to be here when she wakes up too." This time Mercedes did look at him and she wasn't as upset as he expected.

"She'd like that too. She asked for you earlier when she was crying."

"She asked for… me?" His eyes widened as she nodded. "Wow!" He could feel his chest swell at the thought that his little girl wanted him, only to be crushed by the realization that he hadn't been there. "Then if she wants me, I'll be here." he resolved.

Chey had moved a little during their encounter and was now on her back. Sam placed the hand with the line in flat on her belly to keep the tube straight before taking hold of her other hand which was reached towards them. He kissed it softly then laid it in his before leaning forward, resting his head on the bed and closing his eyes. He knew that Mercedes was watching his actions. After a few seconds he smiled without opening his eyes. "Goodnight Mercedes." He wiggled his fingers and waited. After a few moments he felt the slight movement of her head on the bed and her hand closed over his, cocooning Chey's in the middle of them. "Goodnight Sam."

He smiled before slowly drifing off.

He awoke to the sensations of small fingers in his hair and a soft giggle.

"Shh! You'll wake him up!"

But he was already awake and his head jerked up. his hand automatically wiping his mouth, cheeking for accidental drool during his sleep. Chey was propped up with a couple of pillows, laughing at him. "Daddy you snore!"

He rubbed his eyes. "Hey Annie! How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay!" He reached over and kissed her forehead and she scrunched her face at him pretending that she didn't like it.

Mercedes was smiling and handed him a cup of coffee. "It's not great but I figured you'd need it anyway."

"Thanks!" He accepted it gratefully.

"You might not be thanking me when you actually taste the stuff! Plus it's probably only lukewarm by now."

Sam looked up and noticed that the IV had gone. "When did that happen?"

"About an hour ago."

"And you just let me sleep?"

Mercedes grinned for the first time since they'd been at the hospital. "Yeah. It was a different nurse. She was checking you out and I didn't trust you not to flirt back because she was all young and cute."

"Damn you woman!"

She grinned again and he was happy that she was in a better mood. "Did you get any sleep?"

"A bit."

Well the _bit_ had done her good and she looked far brighter although Chey's speedy recovery might also have had something to do with it too. Looking at his watch he realized it was just after eight and there were a slew of missed calls and messages on his phone. Mostly from Kirsten but also a couple from Stevie. "Look, I have to go out and make some calls. Do you want me to grab you something to eat?"

Mercedes shook her head.

Making his way outside, he called Stevie first who answered almost immediately. "What the hell is going on Sam? Is it true. Are you at the hospital?"

"I'm at the hospital. Chey is sick. Let me guess, Kirsten called you."

"She's been burning up my phone Sam and I had no idea what the hell to say to her!"

"Sorry you had to deal with that."

"Not as sorry as I am. She says one minute you're telling her you have a child and the next minute you're running off after her."

"I suppose the timing was pretty crap. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. She asked if I already knew that you had a child and I said I did. Something told me she doesn't know the whole story so I deflected the conversation onto something else. Sam, is everything okay with your kid?"

"I think so. She had stomach pains but the doctor thinks it's just some bad stomach bug. He's coming back this morning to assess her again so we'll know more later."

"And are you okay?"

"Yeah. I was fucking scared at the beginning but now it's not so bad. Mercedes is a rock. I don't know how she does it!"

"Yeah well women are pretty strong when it comes to stuff like that. Sam, I have to go coz I'm driving but we'll talk later okay?"

"Sure."

"And promise me you'll handle Kirsten. She fucking rang in the middle of the night and that woke up Holly and it took me ages to calm her back down again. You know she's one walking insecure hormone at the moment!"

"Sure bro. Sorry she did that to you. I'm calling her right now."

Somehow Sam's prayers were answered because Kirsten didn't pick up her phone, likely because she was backstage or on air. He really didn't want to have to be dealing with her right now. He left a quick message apologizing for leaving so suddenly and not filling her in. He was pissed that she'd called Stevie but decided not to mention that until they were face to face so he simply said that he would call her later when he had some news and reminded her that she should not be speaking about his personal family business with others.

Sam used the opportunity to quickly check through his emails as well as touch base with Maddie and warn her that due to a family emergency he was unable to come to the office today. She was to deflect anything that needed his attention to his phone so that he could deal with it personally.

As he returned to the room he was met with a familiar voice. Dionne was in the seat that he had vacated. Her carryon was next to her on the floor and it was clear that she had come straight from her flight.

"Sam, it's good to see you again" she said as she stood.

"Likewise." He didn't know what to do. Dionne wasn't exactly the sort of person that you hugged yet he didn't want to patronize her by offering his hand either. And in all honesty, he was still scared shitless of her.

Looking down at her hand he noticed. As he opened his mouth to say something she widened her eyes and gave a barely perceptible shake of her head before indicating towards Mercedes who was interacting with Chey. She hadn't yet noticed but Sam had gone up in mom's estimation for noticing so quickly. She started talking as if they hadn't just shared a moment. "Good to know you're looking after my babies while I'm not here Sam." It was a rare complement and he knew to take it. So like any good gambler he did. _I'll take your complement and raise you one _"They're my babies too now."

Dionne arched an eyebrow, impressed. "Keep it up."

Sam smiled, thankful to have passed whatever test he had just been put through.

He stayed quiet as Mercedes continued to fill her in on all that had happened, letting the two women do their thing.

"Your ring is pretty!" It was Chey that finally let the cat out of the bag.

"What?" He could see the confusion on Mercedes' face until her eyes followed to where the little girl was pointing. "Oh my god MOM!"

Dionne smiled radiantly as her daughter finally noticed the silver solitaire ring on the third finger of her left hand. "ARTIE PROPOSED!" Mercedes leaned forward and hugged her mom tightly. "I'm so thrilled for you. I'm bursting for the bathroom right now but as soon as I get back you can tell me all about how it happened-"

Dionne cut her off. "No. Not now. It's too long a story and I forgot that I left Artie in the car. We'll pop back home, drop off our things, freshen up and then we'll tell you the story together."

"Mom!"

"Just go Mercedes. I'll be back, don't worry."

* * *

As Mercedes left the bathroom and walked back towards Chey's room she noticed a couple of nurses look at her and smile but she didn't think anything of it. Then, as she approached Chey's room she noticed three more nurses craning their neck to peek through the glass and giggling. When they saw her approach they reverted to acting professionally and kept walking although one did shoot her a jealous look.

She frowned, wondering what the hell was going on. Maybe someone had recognized Sam and put the word out.

As she touched the door handle she heard male laughter, from more than one male, but before she could fully process the sound, her mom flung open the door, ripping the handle from her hand in her flushed haste. "Get me an invite!" The woman practically breathed the four words into her ear before vanishing down the corridor.

"Huh?"

Stepping into the room she finally understood. The two men were standing by the bed, smiling and blushing. Sam was blushing harder and stood fractionally taller than his brother who Mercedes discovered, was in the flesh, one of the most beautiful men she had ever laid eyes on. Stevie Evans reminded her of a mature version of Hunter Parrish. In the way Brad Pitt had gone from pretty and cute to mature, manly and _attractive, _Hunter was bound to go the same way, being even more ovary explodingly dashing. No wonder they said world had wept the day Stevie Evans had got married.

She could tell that Sam noticed her jaw dropping and couldn't help but be amuzed at the flicker of jealousy that passed over his face. She'd never really noticed before in the media but:

_But DAMN! His brother be HOT!_

No wonder all the nurses outside had gone all uncecessary. And as for her mom… She could only begin to imagine how her reaction would have been. Dammit she missed everything! In that moment Mercedes would have traded all the money she had been given to have been there when her mom had met her dream man in the flesh. Clearly whatever she had said and done had left the two men flustered.

Stevie stepped forward and offered his hand. "Hi. You must be Mercedes."

She took his hand and fought hard not to let out a small squeal. That family photo Sam had given her had not done him justice at all. Luckily she had only just washed her hands because if this had been a few minutes later they would have been hot and sweaty and downright nasty!

"Um. Hi Stevie."

Dammit! Yet again she was caught out when she looked like shit! Last night was an emergency but surely she could have at least found some black slacks and one of her prettier v-necked tops to wear. And most definitely lost the pajama top which she was still in underneath! Fucking typical!

"It's great to meet you at long last. Sorry that I took your seat." He waved her back to the seat where she had spent the night and she dropped back into it gratefully, unsure as to how long her legs would continue to hold her up in his presence.

She knew she was going to have to do some damage limitation for whatever it was that her mom had done. "Um. Can I just say, whatever it is that my mom just said to you, I am really really sorry and apologize from the bottom of my heart!"

Stevie bushed again and shook his head. "It's okay."

She groaned. His reaction told her that it was entirely _not _okay. And she'd only been gone for less than five minutes. Sam was looking as her with a clenched jaw and she imagined he often got sidelined by women whenever his brother was around.

Stevie's voice was as hot as his body. "I'm sorry that our first introduction has to be under these sad circumstances. Sam told me what had happened and I just wanted to pop by to see if you guys are alright. Are they looking after you okay here? Because if they're not I can speak to-"

"No. It's fine. They've been wonderful."

"Well I know Sam and whatever he says, he will be hungry so I bought him a breakfast bagel and there's one for you too. Not sure if you can eat it in here but I'll leave it for you anyway."

"Uncle Stevie?"

He turned round and beamed at Chey. _Uncle Stevie? _Again, she'd been gone less than five minutes! Had she returned to a parallel universe or something?

"Can I have a bite?"

Mercedes stared incredulously at the betrayal of her daughter who was suddenly fine with this strange man. Good looking as he was, to her he was a strange man and should be treated as such!

"It's okay Mercedes." Sam spoke up for the first time and placed his hand, almost possessively on her arm. "Kids love Stevie. It's just one of those things."

Stevie just shrugged, widened his big blue eyes and looked damn cute.

"Chey honey. Are you hungry?"

The little girl nodded.

"Okay well we'll ask the doctor if it's okay for you to eat anything just in case it makes you sick again but you have to drink more of this squash first like the nurse said." She handed over the plastic cup and she took a few sips.

As if on cue, Dr Karofsky came through the door with a nurse who did nothing but smile at Stevie and take Chey's temperature without actually removing her eyes from the man. Mercedes was prepared to believe she had won some sort of lottery between the nurses to see who would be lucky enough to have the opportunity to come into the room. The doctor smiled at Cheyenne who grinned happily back at him. "Well isn't someone a pretty little princess" he began.

"Sure is." Stevie stood. "I'll leave you guys. This was only a passing visit to check everything was okay. I'll leave you in the capable hands of the doctor." He stroked Mercedes' shoulder and she got the impression that he was slightly less huggy than Sam. "Hopefully we'll get to see you at the house sometime soon. The girls are really looking forward to meeting you both." Turning to his brother he said "I've got your back today. Take as long as you need. I'll make sure all the paperwork here's straight on my way out."

He waved at Chey who beamed back at him and left the room.

Dr Karofsky brought good news. He examined her and was pleased with the results. It was definitely gastroenteritis and she was already feeling much better on her own. She was allowed to have a little soft food but they would observe how she reacted to it before she could be discharged home, just in case she relapsed or failed to keep fluids down. "My shift ends in a couple of hours but my colleague will come and see you after lunch and assess her for an early afternoon discharge if that's okay with you?"

"That's fine by me!" Mercedes was side-eying Chey who was fidgeting on the bed, looking as if there was nothing at all wrong with her and the previous night was just a bad dream.

Sam looked relieved as the doctor left and she shared his elation. "Thank goodness for that!"

"Yeah. Definitely."

She watched as Sam tapped his foot pensively, clearly thinking about something and she hoped he wasn't mad about the way she had reacted to Stevie. Surely he was used to the fact that all women with a set of ovaries would react like that to him. Then she remembered that he had spoken of his insecurity of his own looks when compared to his brother. But that was in the past. Sam Evans was his own green-eyed love god now! She decided to lighten the mood. "So tell me, what exactly did my mom say when she met you brother. I'm prepared to be embarrassed so just hit me with it!"

Sam's smile was back. Maybe that's not what was bothering him after all. "Nope. This room is Vegas. What happens in here stays in here. And your mom? Let's just say I'm taking that to my grave. If you want to know you can ask and see if she'll tell you herself!"

"Come on Sam!"

"I'm serious! I'm not risking crossing her so I'm keeping my mouth firmly shut!"

"Coward!"

He grinned. "You know what? When it comes to your mom I'm not even afraid to admit that!"

It was good to feel relaxed again and Chey was lying back, happily watching them interact. She heard Sam's phone buzz and watched him read the message.

"You know Sam, you don't need to stay now. Chey is getting better and I'm sure we'll be going home this afternoon."

He turned to her. "That's where you're wrong." Standing up he pulled his car keys from his pocket. "I'm never going to forgive myself for not being there last night. So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to leave you for a bit now. I'll swing by the office for some paperwork, to my apartment for my stuff and change cars to the one with the booster seat in. Then I'm going to come back here in time for the doctor to check her over. Once he says it's fine for her to go home, I'll drive you back and you will have some long earned rest while I keep an eye on Chey and do some work on my computer. Then I'm taking up your permanent offer of staying in the guest room so that I can be around tonight in case anything goes wrong again. Only when I am satisfied in the morning that she's okay, will I leave to go to work, knowing that I'll be seeing her again on Wednesday anyway." As he spoke he stood and tossed his jacket over his shoulder.

"Sam I-"

He shot Mercedes a look which immediately silenced her. "No arguments Mercedes. _I am_ going to do this and you _are_ going to let me." Grinning at Chey he blew her a kiss and she blew him one back. "See you soon Annie!"

And then he was gone.

And Mercedes couldn't help but think that was a pretty sexy dramatic exit!

* * *

It almost annoyed her that it all went exactly as Sam said it would. He was back about an hour before the doctor came and discharged Chey. They thanked the staff for their help and Sam drove them back home where she put Chey to bed and joined her for a nap after talking to her mom on the phone.

When she got up she could hear Sam's voice travelling from the dining room where he had set up 'office'. He was on the phone, but rather than a business, the repeated use of the phrase 'listen to me baby' made her think that it was probably his girlfriend on the other line. And she was clearly not happy about the fact that he wasn't going to be home tonight. For a relationship that Sam had said wasn't serious, Mercedes wondered why the girl was clearly so bothered but knew it wasn't exactly her place to ask.

Not wanting to eavesdrop she returned to her room, took a shower and dressed in jeans and a sweater and pulled her hair into a sleek ponytail before going downstairs.

She stuck her head into the dining room. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

Sam stopped typing furiously into his laptop. "No thanks, I'm fine. Howz Chey?"

"She's asleep. No sick, no accidents. Mommy is very happy."

He looked relieved. "That's good."

"I'm just going to make some soup. Give me a yell if you need anything."

"You wanna hand?"

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "You cook?"

He grinned and shook his head. "No. Just offering."

"Nope. I'm good. I'll leave you on 'keeping Chey occupied if she comes downstairs' duty."

"Alright. I think I can handle that."

She made a thick chicken and vegetable soup that they all ate, Chey having a thinned down version with no bread, and Mercedes couldn't help but grin at Sam taking his third helping. "What? This is _really_ good Mercedes!"

"You sound surprised."

"I mean, it's soup. But this is like… _more_ than soup. It's like the superhero of soups!"

Chey giggled. "Like Batman!"

"Like…?" Mercedes' eyes widened and she glared at Sam who grinned sheepishly back at her. "What on earth have you been teaching her? And when?"

Sam smirked. "She's learning that there's more to life than princesses. At the moment she's convinced that Superman should marry Ariel so that they can both fly in the sky and swim under the sea."

She grinned and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm going to have to sit in next time you have one of your conversations!"

It wasn't until Chey was in bed that she finally asked Sam the question that had been burning her all day. "Did Stevie mean what he said about me and Chey going to his home?"

Sam smiled. "Of course. I told you, they're dying to meet you. It was a direct invitation so you can't refuse it."

"And what if they don't like me?"

"What's not to like? You're awesome, Chey's already calling Stevie uncle and the girls have been bending my ears every time I see them asking when they'll finally get to meet this niece that I'm always going on about."

"Always going on about huh?"

"Have you met her? She's inherited your awesome!"

"That's true."

"But seriously Mercedes, I know you're worried but there's no reason why you should be. I haven't pushed you because I didn't want to overwhelm you but they do really want to meet you. And, as I'm going to be going in a few weeks it's probably best if we do the introductions before I go."

That did make sense. "Okay. When Chey's better we'll set a date." She fiddled with her hands. "Are you sure that they'll like me?"

"They'll love you. There's only one thing you could possibly do which could change that."

"And what would that be?"

"Bring your mother!" He exaggeratedly rolled his eyes and she belly laughed.

Opting for an early night, she left Sam still working downstairs as she climbed into bed and reflected on the day. She thanked the lord that Chey bounced back so quickly, the way children do, and prayed that she never have to see her child in so much pain ever again. She reflected on her mother's engagement and the fact that she had finally got to meet Stevie. For the longest time she had been convinced that Stevie would be disapproving of her because of what had happened. She knew that he was almost as much of a father to Sam as a brother, and that Sam, despite what he said, thought highly of his brother's opinions. She had hoped that by the time she had met him, she would be at her best, but, just like Sam, he had come upon her when she was at her worst. Yet he had still accepted her.

What had started out as the longest night had turned into an eventful day. She spent a while dwelling on her thoughts and after a while she heard the sound of Sam coming up the stairs. She listened to him pause momentarily outside Chey's room, checking she was okay before heading into the guest bathroom.

She was so lucky that he had turned out to be a good guy and hoped that those closest to him would be as accepting as he was.

Only time would tell.

* * *

**_Because thanks to the wonderful youngbertreynolds on Tumblr, it's pretty much cannon that Hunter Parrish is what Stevie looks like when he's older and I am in total agreement._**

**_# Hoooooooooooottttt_**


	16. Meet The Family

The phone buzzed again on her dresser and she quickly read the message.

**So how about tomorrow night then?**

Mercedes smiled as she applied her lip gloss. She didn't want to go too heavy on the makeup. This was only lunch after all. She'd lightly done her eyes to match her top but decided to keep the lips very simple. She wanted to make a good impression. The last thing she needed was to look slutty.

The phone buzzed again.

**Or Monday night?**

The smile widened as she smacked her lips together. Yep, looking good!

Leaning forward and squinting into the mirror she appraised her eyes and added a touch more mascara. It had been so long since she'd last worn makeup, excluding the night of her birthday drinks when it had been applied at the salon when she was getting her eyebrows done. The next thing on her list of things to do was replace her entire collection. It was embarrassing that most of her eyeliners had dried and clogged up together with her mascaras and several of her favorite nail polishes. During the week she was going to maybe have a makeover and stock up. Hell, now she could afford to get all the Iman, MAC and Bobbi Brown that her heart desired!

**Midweek?**

She stood and made her way to the full length mirror. Still big, but getting there. Smoothing her hand over her hips she cast a critical eye. She'd bought these jeans three weeks ago and they didn't do up. Now they fitted nicely and clung to her ass like second skin. It was almost a disappointment that in a few weeks they'd be too large. But no fear, she already had another pair two sizes smaller.

And her hair was looking good. A neat sleek high pony with loose bangs at the front.

**Or even next weekend? I can be patient…**

The top she still wasn't entirely too sure about. She'd gone for the soft gray wrapover top but her eyes kept flitting back over to the pale pink one. It's just that if she wore the pink then she could end up clashing with Chey. It wasn't exactly the same shade, hers was a silvery pink while Chey's was your classic block color, but first impressions were everything.

**So what do you say?**

Mercedes sighed. What _was_ she going to say? Moe had been blowing up her phone asking to take her out for a drink. She shouldn't really have been surprised. They'd texted each other on and off since meeting the night that George had introduced him. And last night she'd called to ask his opinion on something and stayed chatting for quite a while.

This morning they had texted a few times and now he'd asked to meet her for a drink, even if it was just coffee.

Initially he had wanted to meet today but she'd told him she was already busy. She was meeting Sam's family today and nothing else could occupy her mind.

But she had stopped replying the second he had asked for alternative times and he wanted an answer. It wasn't fair to keep him hanging.

The reality was that she actually didn't mind the idea of meeting him for a drink. Over the last week or so things had been going good. She was really starting to see results from her exercise and diet regime, Puck had won her over with his hilarious groveling Youtube video which was funny in itself. His over the top antics already had over five hundred hits within days, but only four people on the planet actually fully understood what was behind it and what he actually needed such a massive apology for.

Time to put him out of his misery she thought to herself as she finally typed her response.

**Maybe coffee in the week?**

Coffee should be fine. Coffee would be zero pressure and wouldn't take too long. After the near disaster with George she still wasn't sure if she was ready to commit to entire dates yet.

His reply was instant.

**Perfect. I'll quit blowing up your phone now before you think I'm a creep and change your mind!**

Mercedes smiled. Moe's messages always made her smile. It was something she knew she didn't do enough of and was working on making a change to that. It was just difficult with Sam and the stress of the last couple of weeks.

Sam had been surprisingly cool despite the drama going on in his family with the media. However many times she apologized for calling him to come and causing the shitstorm he just brushed it off as nothing and insisted that he wanted nothing more than to be there and the media always make up shit anyway.

It hadn't occurred to her that even something as simple as a visit to the hospital could attract attention. If it had been just her and Sam they might have got away with it, but Stevie's brief and dramatic appearance had put paid to that. Within a couple of hours there were pictures online of him striding towards the hospital with bagels in hand and speculation as to who he was visiting. The speculation rose when people suddenly realized that nobody had seen Holly in a while. Stories appeared of Holly having been in an accident. Sam having been in a fight and receiving stitches for his injuries. Even rumors of Stevie having a secret affair with a nurse. Then it was also revealed that Sam had also been there and the speculation rose about sickness in the family. By some miracle the truth didn't come out, but they all knew it was a case of it being a 'when' rather than an 'if' on that particular story coming out.

Instead, Stevie had gone into full PR mode by creating a diversion. The hospital visit was of no consequence as it was just to drop something off, but he could indeed now confirm that Holly was pregnant. It had to come out eventually and he wanted to be the one to say it. It was their news to share, not have it stolen. They had planned to let the information be released after 22 weeks but in fact, it had already been longer than that so they were already enjoying bonus private time. Plus, so far the pregnancy had passed without complication. Holly was bored out of her wits, but was resolute in her determination to do everything right for her babies and take no risks, even if that meant being a virtual prisoner in her own home.

The confirmation of pregnancy put all attention on Stevie not on Sam, but Stevie was a well-oiled media machine and knew exactly how to work things for his advantage. Plus his home was protected from intrusive journalists so that Holly didn't have to be put under too much stress.

Mercedes still felt terrible. Stevie barely knew her and yet he was covering for her privacy. What would happen when the media inevitably found out the truth? She didn't want them hounding her or judging her. Or worse still, going after Chey and trying to get pictures of her. In the end Sam had had a long conversation with her on the Tuesday, reassuring her that they knew how to handle the media, that they had grown up around it, and most importantly, Stevie had her back. There was nothing to connect them and if any of the hospital staff released information they would be pursued to the full extent of the law for their breach of confidentiality. Luckily it seemed that other than the person who had snapped Stevie in the parking lot on their phone, nobody else had come forward with anything.

Mercedes was reassured, but not completely. Her exposure was inevitable and she wasn't yet ready to be judged.

Sam had come round as promised and spoken to an almost completely recovered Chey on the Wednesday about his impending trip away and they had concocted a plan to speak weekly on Skype. Except Chey was already asking every day if this was the day that she was going to speak to daddy on the computer and was getting very frustrated at the answer always being no. After Chey had gone to sleep Mercedes and Sam sat down and talked about what had happened. They both agreed that they couldn't run away from the situation or lie about it. They would just handle it the same way that he had with Kirsten. Yes they had a baby, but that was years ago so move on to something current! The plan was to let the other person think it was something that had passed them by and was not worth dwelling on. Nobody needed to know ho recent a development it actually was.

Artie had officially moved in with her mom and she 'officially' now refused to sit on their couch, despite Artie's protestations that he'd been joking about what went down on it. Dionne was still positively glowing and Mercedes was happy for her. Artie had rather painfully got down on one knee on a secluded beach just for her and it couldn't have been any more romantic if he had tried.

The Saturday of that week they had spent with Quinn, Puck and Beth, rebuilding bridges and building new ones. Puck had invited them all to his home for a 'play date' with Chey and Beth after they'd hit it off so well in the ball pit right at the very beginning. It was a nice day and nobody followed them. Mercedes was happy to see her friend happy with Puck and it was fun to see the two men interact with each other. Puck was still wary of her, despite her reassurances that he had been forgiven, and she decided that maybe a little guilt was good for him considering the seriousness of what he had done so she would send him the occasional Dionne style glare just to keep him on his toes.

And then somehow another week passed. Everyone quickly forgot about Stevie and Holly when some nobody was caught doing drugs in the X-Factor dressing room and it was suddenly the weekend again.

"Cheyenne" she called "Are you ready to go?"

Chey appeared from her room wearing a cute short pink pinafore dress with matching pink and white striped leggings. Her curls were perfectly moisturized and bouncy and she looked as cute as a button. Nobody would be able to help but fall in love with her. What was she so scared of?

* * *

Mercedes felt anxious as she pulled up to the gated estate, convinced that as soon as the security her black face she would either turn her around or set the dogs on her. The sight of so much security unnerved her, but Sam had reminded her that without it, Holly would have been pestered by journalists at the door the moment news broke about her pregnancy. The security staff had come into their own keeping unwanted attention away and the Evans brothers were thankful for it.

Chey had chatted incessantly throughout the entire journey and her nervousness and anxiety meant that she had a low toleration of the endless repeated pointless questions coming from behind her.

Fortunately, she was waved through security with a smile and she followed the directions to reach the Evans home. As she slowly drove down the private road she stared at the houses which got bigger and bigger as she passed. This was the kind of thing that her mom had expected for Sam to buy her. A multi-million dollar property like one of these. But what Dionne didn't realize was that these places had no soul. They weren't warm and cozy inside like hers was. And more importantly still, the warmth of a home came from the people inside it, not the material contents.

She finally turned into the driveway of the largest house on the estate and pulled up behind Sam's car. Chey was already unbuckled and was already climbing out before Mercedes took her hand and they made their way to the front door. She felt nervous as hell. Chey was all smiles, clutching her handmade thank you card for Stevie in one hand and Teddy in the other while Mercedes held a basket of assorted homemade cookies. Sam had said she didn't need to bring anything but there was no way that she would be able to turn up to somebody's home empty handed, however rich they were. Just before they reached it, the door was flung open by Sam. He looked so different. Relaxed, casual and somehow even better looking for it. He grinned widely at them both.

"Hey Annie!" He smiled and picked up the excited little girl for a squeeze while staring at Mercedes, obviously noticing that she had made an effort. "Hey Mercedes. I really like your… your top."

"Thanks." She smiled back shyly at him, suddenly finding everything that little bit too overwhelming.

"They're here!"

She turned to look behind him and saw a short haired version of Stacey bounding up behind him. She looked relaxed and casual in jeans and a sweater. Tall, lean and pretty. The Evans family really did luck out when it came to all the good looks genes!

"Oh my god she is the cutest thing!"

Mercedes watched as Stacey beamed at Chey, and raised a hand to touch her hair before catching herself and stopping just in time. Somebody had clearly trained her and it made Mercedes curious as to who that could have been. Chey smiled back at her shyly and but held onto Sam that little bit tighter.

"My name's Stacey and I'm your auntie! But you can just call me Stacey because I'm not really _that_ old."

Chey knew exactly who she was, Mercedes had already shown her the family picture, but she was clearly deciding to be shy. "Say hello properly Chey, you already know who she is."

"Hi!" She spoke softly and did the cute dimple smile that made Stacy release an involuntary "Aaaww."

"And you must be Mercedes. Sam's said so much about you! Can I hug you?" Mercedes was taken aback but was already being squeezed tightly by the tall girl before she'd even had a chance to respond. "I know that we're going to get on really well because neither of us take any nonsense from Sam."

"Thanks!" There wasn't really a lot more she could say to that. "I brought these. " She handed the small basket to Stacey who immediately looked inside.

"Cookies? Wow! Sam says you make amazing cookies!"

She watched Sam flush slightly before muttering that if he had known she was bringing cookies he would have immediately intercepted them so that he wouldn't have to share.

Stacey just shot him a dark look before grabbing Mercedes' hand. "You have to come in and meet Holly. She's been excited all morning!" Before she could say anything she was being pulled through the hallway which was wider than her lounge. As they reached what was probably their equivalent of their dayroom, they were met by Stevie who was coming through the door to meet them. "Hello again Mercedes. It's so good to finally see you here!" He looked as if he was going to try and hug her then seemed to catch Sam's eye and replaced it with another shoulder squeeze. "I know this place looks big but we're all very relaxed here so please don't feel awkward."

Easier said than done.

"Stevie, she brought cookies!" Stacey's voice was full of excitement.

"Cookies?" His eyes widened. Clearly word had got out. "Sam raves about your cooking!" He rudely snatched the basket from Stacey and peeked inside it himself.

"Stevie! If they're the peanut butter ones that Sam mentioned then you need to bring me one of those _right now!_"

He spun around and turned to his wife with a frown. "I thought I told you to stay sitting?"

"I heard the word cookies from the hallway! You know there's no way I'd stay still after that!"

Mercedes looked behind Sam to see an extremely pregnant looking Holly heading towards her with a smile. "Hi there! I'm Holly. Sam's been telling me so much about you guys!"

What the hell had Sam been telling them all about her? She went to meet Holly half way and the tall woman hugged her lightly (due to belly being in the way) and kissed her cheek. "It's so nice that you've finally been able to come. I've been waiting weeks to see you!"

"Oh it's nothing, I'm just so sorry for all the drama I caused you!" Mercedes still felt terrible for unwittingly being the cause of the public revelation of Holly's pregnancy but the other woman just smiled. "It was time people knew anyway. People were wondering where I was hiding or if I had left Stevie and run off somewhere. Besides, the pregnancy is going really well."

"That's good. How are you feeling?"

"Like I have two excited little boys playing soccer with my bladder." She rubbed her belly gently. "Speaking of which, you'll have to excuse me for a moment."

"Sure. I know exactly how you feel."

Holly rolled her eyes and grinned before leaving the room.

"Come and sit with me!" Stacey had pulled her to join her on the nearest couch and she was powerless not to go along with her. She watched incredulously as Chey smiled proudly from Sam's arms as Stevie made an overly big deal out of admiring the card that she'd drawn for him. Despite Sam's repeated assurances, she had been nervous of the reaction she would receive from his family and was only now starting to feel that they genuinely did want to accept her. She couldn't fathom why that would be, but she was happy that they did.

Chey wiggled down from Sam and headed over to join them on the couch where Stacey gushed over how cute her outfit was. She held out her card to Stacey and looked proud as she also gushed over it. Holly returned to the room and took a seat the other side of Mercedes, pulling the ottoman closer and resting her feet on it. Chey then turned to Holly and touched her belly gently. "You have a baby inside." Her voice was quiet and slightly full of wonder.

Holly nodded. "There's two babies inside and they're scrunched up really small to make them fit while they grow."

Chey looked at her with awe and Mercedes prayed that she wouldn't say anything embarrassing.

"Does it hurt?"

"No. It doesn't hurt. But sometimes it tickles and sometimes it's a bit bumpy."

"Okay." She turned her attention back to Stacey and Mercedes was relieved.

Holly cast a look at her husband. "So what time are we eating?"

"Anytime you want honey. We were just waiting for Mercedes to get here." Stevie came over and started rubbing Holly's shoulders. "Mercedes. We're having pizza. This isn't a great big formal thing, you're just here to hang out with us for a bit."

Stacey nudged her. "Stevie is such a pizza monster. The first thing he did when he bought this house is install one of those Italian wood burning ovens…"

"Stacey!" Stevie frowned at her. "But anyway, pizza in this house is an institution, a delicacy and a work of art. We do them made to order and everyone gets to choose their toppings. Rosa's already done the dough and heated the oven so all you need to do is let her know what you want. Cheyenne can choose hers too if she wants."

She bounced up and down excitedly, not entirely sure what was going on but happy at the sound of the word pizza until Mercedes shot her a look that told her to calm down.

Sam was the first one up. "Well I know what I'm having!"

He offered Mercedes his hand and pulled her up before offering again to Holly who shook her head and rubbed her belly. "I think I'm just going to stay here. Stevie knows what I want."

She looked at her husband who raised an eyebrow. "Really? _Again_?"

"Yes again! And no scrimping on the egg this time!"

He sighed. "As you wish."

Mercedes was torn. She wanted to follow the others but at the same time didn't want to leave Holly alone. Chey was already holding Sam's hand ready to go in search of food. "I… I think I'll stay and keep Holly company."

"Really? That's awesome!" Holly looked up at her with a huge smile and patted the seat for her to sit back down.

"Sam, you can take Chey and let her choose but no more than three different toppings."

"Okay. And what do you want?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Lots of meat. Put together whatever kind of meat feast you can come up with. Plus olives."

He frowned. "Olives on a meat feast?"

Stevie nudged him. "She's a woman. Just let her have it."

Sam shrugged, shook his head and pulled at Chey's hand. "Come on Annie. Let's go get the mommies some yummy food." Stacey rolled her eyes at his baby talk and followed them out.

Holly chuckled as they left and Mercedes turned to her. "What's tickled you?"

"Sam. I've never seen him like this. He's a completely different person!"

"What do you mean?"

"He's usually either being really serious and businesslike or behaving like an eight year old boy in a comic store. There was never anything in between. This is a weird combination of both that I've never seen before. But I like it. He's been trying to 'grow up' and take a backseat from his usual stupid life over the last few years."

"Sam is a good guy. I mean, he didn't create the best first impression but he's a good guy."

"Really? I thought he'd created an excellent first impression!"

Mercedes was confused until she realized that she was thinking of Sam turning up yelling about the child while Holly was referring to whatever had happened between them the night Chey came to be. She flushed and Holly noticed, clearly becoming embarrassed.

"Oh no!" She put her hand over her mouth. "I wasn't trying to- Oh shit this is embarrassing! I just knew I'd end up saying something stupid today! Pregnancy brain seems to have removed my mouth filter. I mean that Sam can be really charming and funny and a great and caring guy when he tries, it's just that til now he never really tried. Nobody ever really brought that side out of him. I definitely wasn't implying- Oh no…"

Mercedes saw Holly's eyes fill up and understood completely. There was no need to take offence. The way she had spoken indicated that she wasn't trying to be malicious. And those spontaneous tears of pregnancy, she knew _all _about that. Looking around the room for something that might help with the situation she spied the forgotten basket of cookies. "It's okay." She squeezed Holly's hand before going for the basket. As she walked back over she rummaged through. "There's definitely peanut butter ones in here."

She handed one to Holly who was busy wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Holly immediately bit into it and smiled. "See! You're perfect. Just like these cookies. I say or do the wrong thing, get upset, cry and you immediately fix it without getting upset or asking what's wrong a million times over or doing the wrong thing when even I don't know what the wrong thing is yet!"

Mercedes smiled. "That's because I've been pregnant. I know there's no rational rules."

Holly nodded and finished her cookie quietly. "I am sorry though. I wasn't judging you. Somewhere in there I was actually trying to compliment Sam. It's just that I've spent the last few months endlessly resting rather than being out and about chatting with friends and I've got a bit rusty. The kind of banter I have with the boys isn't the usual kind of conversation and I don't want to start off on the wrong foot with you."

Mercedes grabbed her by the hands and smiled. "You didn't."

"Oh I am so glad. Because I really need you in my life right now. It's like being in a gilded prison and I just want some girl talk and some pregnancy talk with someone who isn't a medical professional. Stacey's too young not only do you understand what I'm going through, Sam thinks the world of you."

She frowned. "He does?"

Holly nodded, reaching for a second cookie. "These are really good! You're going to have to teach me how to bake. I'm rubbish at baking! Yeah and he talks about Chey non-stop." He phone rang in her pocket and she answered it quickly. "Hey babe… No the other one, you know, the Greek one… Okay, and remember, _lots_ of egg!" She ended the call and shook her head with a smile. "Did you get these cravings? I swear last night I came downstairs because suddenly I had to eat tuna. Specifically canned tuna. In brine not sunflower oil. Three in the morning Stevie finds me in the kitchen with two bowls, one with tuna and the other with yoghurt. He thinks I've finally lost the plot!"

"Oh I understand completely!"

The two of them talked and laughed of the woes of pregnancy until Mercedes realized the others had been gone a long time.

"I wouldn't worry." Said Holly "I'm sure Sam's probably showing off his pizza making skills to Cheyenne. There's something about seeing the dough that makes him feel he has to show off. And with a new audience that clearly adores him he's bound to be making the most of it."

"I just hope the pizzas are worth the wait!"

"Oh believe me, they will be!"

And they were. So good in fact, that they all sat eating in silence for a while. Mercedes was amazed at how relaxed everyone was. Cheyenne's tray was put on a coffee table so that she could sit on the floor near them. Holly, Mercedes and Stacy stayed on the couch while Stevie sat on the floor at Holly's feet and Sam sat the other end at Stacey's feet.

The pizza _was _amazing. The base was thin and crispy like a genuine Italian pizza and Mercedes had ground beef together with pepperoni and an assortment of Italian hams. Chey's pizza looked like it consisted mostly of sweet corn and Holly had her own halloumi and chopped hard boiled egg extravaganza, complete with lemon slices on the side that she periodically sucked with delight.

"So you guys must really be looking forward to your trip to Disney!" Stevie struggled with a particularly stringy piece of cheese as he spoke.

"You're going to Disney?" Stacy exclaimed.

"Shhhhh!" Both Sam and Mercedes shushed her at the same time before looking at Cheyenne who was happily explaining to Teddy what you do with pizza dough. "Chey doesn't know. It's a surprise. It's my late birthday gift to her."

"Sorry!" Stevie widened his eyes and looked sufficiently guilty. "Awesome idea though!"

"I know. We're heading out to Florida as soon as I finish my last meeting on Friday. It's going to be a great trip."

"Do you think the press will follow you?" It was a valid question and Sam groaned.

"I guess I hadn't really thought of that. I hope not considering we'll be sneaking off. I just wanted some time, you know, before I go." Sam looked sad at the idea and Mercedes could see that it was starting to stress him out. He shot her an apologetic look and she shook her head at him.

"This isn't your fault Sam. People would find out eventually."

"I know, but I'm used to dealing with stuff like this. You're not. And I definitely don't want Chey in the limelight."

"She won't be." Stevie spoke up. "I have a plan for distraction campaign for you."

Sam stopped chewing. "Distraction campaign?"

Stevie nodded. "Earlier this week, Holly and I had some professional portrait shots done with her looking all glowing and maternal. The pregnancy's out now but nobody's seen her so we're going to release a set of pictures together with a request for the media to respect our privacy for the rest of the pregnancy. We'll mention that you and Stacy are excited to become an aunt and uncle respectively so there should be no need for you to be hounded for your own statements. That should give them enough to talk about over the weekend. Monday morning is business as usual."

"And if people ask about Chey?"

"I don't see how they will. But if they do, it's a non-story like we agreed. We're not telling people but neither are we denying it. Make them feel like it's old news and not worth pursuing. It's not like Chey's a baby and you've just found out. For all they know she's been around all this time but nobody else has bothered about it so neither should they."

It still made Mercedes anxious but that was what they had agreed upon when things first kicked up and she had to admit it made the most sense.

But she also felt happy. Stevie was an awesome man. He had deflected so much of the attention from them onto himself and his own family. Looking at him Mercedes saw more than just a ridiculously good looking successful businessman. He saw a man who loved his family and would do anything to support them. She understood why, Sam, despite his issues with him, could never stop loving him. It was a complex relationship, but one that was between two good people who would always do whatever it took to care for the ones they love.

She saw it now. And she respected and appreciated it more than ever. And more than that, she felt blessed to be included as part of it when they didn't have to at all. She could have been seen, quite rightly, as the enemy. And yet they had welcomed her with open arms and extended their protection to include her too.

From his position on the floor, Sam turned and craned his neck to look up at her and catch her eye. "We're going to D-I-S-N-E-Y!" he mouthed with childish grin.

Mercedes rolled her eyes before smiling back at him indulgently. This was going to be an interesting trip!

Lunch continued to be a laugh and the afternoon sped by. For the weeks that Mercedes had spent stressing as she imagined what it would be like to meet Sam's family, she would never have imagined the way that it had actually turned out. Cheyenne reveled being center of attention and entertained them with her silliness. Sam had brought the picture book that she'd made him and showed the pictures to Holly and Stacey. This in turn prompted Stevie to develop a mysterious grin and disappear, only to promptly return with photos of Sam in his childhood which they all laughed over as well as noting similarities.

Before long it was six and Mercedes decided to make a move. By the time she drove back it would be time to start getting Chey into her bedtime routine. Sam and Stevie had a formal dinner that they were required to be in attendance for and Stacey and Holly were going to have a DVD night. She really was genuinely sad to leave.

As they walked to the door, Stacey flung her arms around her in a tight embrace. "Thanks for coming. I really hope you liked us!"

"Me like _you_? I was more worried about you thinking I was some gold-digging baby mama with an agenda over your brother."

"We know you're not that. If you were Sam wouldn't want you to be anywhere near us!"

"Well I'm glad I've passed your 'test' and I hope you have a safe trip back to Yale."

"Thanks. And I hope we can all do this again soon! You're so much more fun than Kirsten."

"Kirsten?"

She could see that Sam's ears had peaked at the mention of the name so Stacey leaned in closer "She's Sam's girlfriend. Very pretty but a bit basic and _no_ fun!"

"Yeah well that's guys for you!"

* * *

It felt weird not hearing from Sam all week but she knew that he was incredibly busy with work due to clearing his weekend schedule.

Over lunch, Quinn had asked a million questions about what it was like to go to his house and she answered them as best she could, trying hard not to smile too much at the thought of the wonderful time she'd had and the way she felt so included by them, especially the girls.

The only 'event' of the week was meeting Moe for coffee. They couldn't stay for long because he was between business meetings and she had to go and pick up Chey. But the little time they had together was good. In the time since they'd met she had clearly forgotten how attractive he actually was. He put him at around thirty five, same age as George, but he didn't act older. And not only was he a complete gentleman, he was funny as hell. She enjoyed the coffee and promised him that although she was taking Chey away for the weekend, they would definitely meet the following week for that 'drink'. Or maybe lunch. Or something.

It was definitely easier to work on smiling that week.

Suddenly it was Friday and Mercedes was packed and ready.

Chey was beyond excited. All she knew was that they were going on a trip and they were going to see daddy. That information alone was enough to put her into a tailspin.

On the dot of five there was a knock at the door and the two of them were off. Sam had sent a car for them because he had been held up at his final meeting. She'd expected the ride to take them to JFK but instead they were taken to a smaller community airport that she barely knew even existed and it suddenly dawned on her what was happening. They were going by private jet! This was why Sam hadn't been too worried when she had voiced concerns about arriving late in Florida. She'd been counting the time it would take to get to the airport and get through all the preflight processes.

This time, barely thirty minutes after leaving her front door, she and Chey were being led onto a small jet. It was way smaller than anything she had been in before and the seats were along one side only, about twelve in total. Rather than all facing forwards they were set in pairs facing each other with a table in the middle. It was clearly set up for doing business while on the move.

Mercedes knew Sam was rich, but sometimes she forgot until she saw things like this. She was just getting Chey settled with some drawing when Sam joined them, full of apologies. Something had gone wrong and he had to continue working through the flight then make calls to London when they reached the other side. He still made time for Chey though, watching her face beam with delight when the steward bought her a gourmet burger and fries once they were airborne and insisting on sitting and eating with them before continuing his work at another desk.

Mercedes felt for him. He looked tired and stressed but was still doing everything in his power to make sure that they were having a good time.

By the time they arrived at their destination Chey had fallen asleep. Sam carried her down to the waiting car and again into the Bay Lake Tower resort to check into their villa. Rather than join the usual check-in queue which is where Mercedes had headed, Sam led them straight to the concierge desk where he asked for the keys under the name of 'Sandy'.

"Who's Sandy?"

"Sandy is Annie's dog." Sam laughed at her expression of confusion and told her that she really had to watch the film.

"But don't we need to check in first?"

"Already done" he said as he collected the key cards and handed her one before going to the designated elevator.

She couldn't believe her eyes when they got there and turned on the lights. The place was bigger than most of her friend's apartments. There was a huge kitchen dining area with full facilities, as well as a king room for Sam and a twin Queen for her and Chey so that they could sleep together.

Sam lowered the still sleeping girl onto one of the beds and kissed her forehead. "I'm really sorry Mercedes. I need to make a Skype call to London in a few minutes and it might take a while."

"It's no problem. By the time I get Chey changed and tucked in I'll be ready for an early night. Chey's been a ball of excitement all day and it's exhausting. Besides, there's a TV if I need company."

Sam bit his bottom lip and she really felt for him. "I promise this will all be finished by tomorrow Mercedes so we can have a really nice day."

"I know we will. You do what you have to do. I understand. You took time out to be able to do this so finish what you need to do first then you can relax and enjoy yourself."

"Thanks Mercedes!" He grinned, leaned forward and gave her a spontaneous kiss on the cheek before catching himself and clearing his throat. "Um. Yeah well, I have to get on the computer so I'll say goodnight now, but feel free to, you know, call room service or do whatever you need. This is your trip too."

"Thanks. But I'll probably maybe just crack open that bottle of wine I saw earlier and soak in the tub with a glass and my book. That's honestly holiday enough for me at the moment."

"Okay, well…" He looked as if he was going to say something more but didn't. "Goodnight then."

"Goodnight Sam. And thanks again."

"Stop thanking me. But I am sorry about tonight-"

"I'll stop thanking you when you stop apologizing to me."

That one got him and he grinned. "Okay. It's a deal. Sleep well Mercedes."

"And you too."

Sam left and shut the door behind him and Mercedes managed to get Chey out of her clothes and into the bed without waking her. Tomorrow morning's big reveal of their location would be interesting. She decided they would go to Sam's room for the big reveal of where exactly they were in the morning. His face at Chey's excitement would be as much of a picture as his daughter's when she saw the view.

As she poured the wine then ran the bath she got to thinking. Two whole days with just Sam and Chey. It was going to be a lot to take in and potentially quite intense, but hopefully it would draw them all closer together and she really didn't have a problem with that anymore.

* * *

_**Okay so this chapter wasn't very heavy on the Samcedes but now that we're on the Disney trip, the next one is pretty much exclusively Samcedes and we get to know a little bit more about what was going on with Mercedes that night all those years ago...**_


	17. Disney: Part 1

Mercedes heard the patter of small feet followed by a quiet "Mommy?"

Without even opening her eyes or looking at the time she knew it was too early. But Chey had slept through since the plane so it wasn't surprising she was up. Unfortunately Mercedes was not yet ready to join her. With a groan she lifted her duvet and felt Chey climb in beside her. At least she knew where she was now and there was no danger of her opening the curtain on her own. Chey snuggled up and stayed still as she drifted for what felt like all of thirty seconds before starting her constant wiggling.

"Mommy I need to pee!"

Mercedes sighed. It was no use. Finally opening her eyes she was met with the sight of Chey's face far too close to hers.

Of course, Chey was asleep when they brought her in. She wouldn't know where the bathroom was. Finally dragging herself up, she pointed Chey in the right direction for the ensuite before looking at the time. It was nearly seven. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a Saturday she'd already be coming to the end of her gym session right now. But it _was _a Saturday and there really needed to be a law against being awake this early. Deciding it would be cruel to wake Sam at this hour she opted to switch on the TV to find something for Chey to watch to kill some time.

Chey watched cartoons quietly for about thirty minutes while sat on the bed next to Mercedes before she made dozing impossible with her fidgeting and questions. If she heard Chey ask one more time if 'daddy was here' she'd send the man home out of spite! But enough was enough.

It was time for the big reveal.

Throwing on her robe over her pajamas she unwrapped her hair and pulled it into a loose pony. "Okay honey. Let's go get daddy. We have a surprise for you!"

Leaping at the promise of a surprise Chey eagerly took her hand and allowed herself to be let to Sam's room. The door was slightly ajar and she knocked lightly.

There was no response.

Opening the door slightly and peeking in she saw Sam sprawled crossways across the bed in gym shorts and a tank. Next to him was his laptop, ipad and papers. It looked as if he had fallen asleep while still working and her heart went out to him.

Chey used the opportunity to slip past her and run towards him. Before she could stop her Chey had climbed up onto the bed and was tugging at his the arm strewn nearest to her.

"Chey!"

Her warning voice came too late as Sam started to stir, confusion marring his features until he spotted Chey and broke into a huge smile. "Mornin' Annie!"

"Good morning!" She beamed right back at him.

Annoyed as she was at Chey for waking Sam when she was prepared to give him another thirty minutes, she couldn't help but be distracted at the sight of Sam. She clearly wasn't the only one who was a gym regular. The way that the tank top was snug against his abs and the ripple of his arms as he pulled himself upright… She really needed to not be having these thoughts right now!

Sensing a moment of disaster about to happen, she rushed forward and snatched a pair of designer glasses from the bedspread milliseconds before Chey sat on them. "Chey! Calm down! You're not a baby anymore!" Her voice was even harder this time but the girl was so overexcited she barely heard her. Instead, she started trying to climb over Sam, laughing hysterically, accidentally hitting him in the face and knocking his ipad precariously close to the edge of the bed.

"Enough!"

This time both father and daughter froze at her raised voice.

"Cheyenne Jones, you woke daddy when you weren't supposed to and you nearly caused two accidents because you're overexcited. You didn't listen to me. I need you to sit still for one whole minute and calm down. Don't make me put you on warning!"

Chey's face fell. She knew she was in trouble and Mercedes gave her a hard stare. "One minute. On your bottom. No talking quiet time._Now!_"

Chey immediately turned and plonked herself down, resting her back against the headboard.

Sam looked at Mercedes and she shot him the same stare. "Sam, you can't let her walk all over you like that. In this case both metaphorically and physically. In a couple of seconds she nearly destroyed your glasses _and_ your computer." He shot her a chastened look that matched his daughter sat next to him and it was a struggle for Mercedes not to break out into a smile at the cuteness of them. "Don't be afraid to say no."

She moved and started to pick up his work things from the bed. "Chey, these things are very important to daddy. He needs them for his work and you need to make sure that you never touch them. Do you understand?"

Chey nodded, wide eyed. Mercedes put the things on Sam's bedside table and placed the glasses on top. She then looked at her watch. "Okay, you've had your minute. Now what do you say?"

"Sorry mommy."

"And why are you sorry?"

"Because I didn't listen and got too excited."

"Well done. And who else do you need to say sorry to?"

Chey cast her wide eyes on Sam. "Sorry I will not touch your things."

Mercedes beamed at her. "That's great Chey. Now give daddy a hug, then come and give me a hug, then we can show you your surprise!"

She flung her arms around Sam then climbed off the bed to be enveloped by Mercedes who smothered her in kisses. "Shall we let daddy open the curtains?"

Chey nodded, not really having a clue what she was supposed to be expecting. Sam joined them from the bed and dramatically threw back the curtain. "Ta daaaa!"

Chey's face was an absolute picture. There in full view was the iconic Disney castle of Magic Kingdom. She squealed and jumped up and down excitedly while the adults smiled and did their squealing and jumping internally. None of them had been to Disney and it already looked amazing. She snuck a look at Sam and saw that his face was bursting with joy.

"Are we going to see the princesses' mommy?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yes we are! This is a gift from daddy. What do you say to him?"

"Thankyou!" She flung her arms around him and he bent down and picked her up so that she could squeeze his neck, practically kicking him with excitement before Sam led them out onto the balcony for a better view. Mercedes could tell that he was still slightly lost for words.

Mercedes smiled and rolled her eyes. 'See why she needs to calm down?' she mouthed.

Sam nodded as it dawned on him that there was more to parenting than just fun things all the time. Mercedes was asking for his cooperation in discipline and that was a huge step.

"Are we going to go now?"

"First you have to get washed and dressed and eat some breakfast. _Then_ if you're still good we can go."

"I'll be very good mommy. I'll be perfect!"

* * *

The day was amazing. Chey was extraordinarily well behaved, mostly due to the fact that she was so in awe of everything that she was too distracted to play up. She spent the day holding hands with one or other parent and often both while Sam developed a new anxiety of letting her out of his sight or touch in crowded places. He definitely had a lot to learn about being around children.

Mercedes was amazed by Sam. He was like another person. She finally understood why sometimes people didn't recognize him. Being dragged around Disney by a six year old, he suddenly didn't look like a multimillionaire. He didn't have that polished look that Stevie always did. He just looked like a normal bloke having fun with his family. And they definitely were having fun. She suspected that Sam was enjoying himself even more than Chey. Rides, shows, food… the whole Disney Magic Kingdom experience and yet they felt that they had barely scratched the surface. One weekend was never really going to be enough.

By the time they returned to the villa to put Chey to bed they were all exhausted.

"Are you hungry?" Mercedes was caught out by Sam's question as they left the bedroom after Chey's story.

"Not really. Are you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does Sam. You asked for a reason. If you want something then have it."

He paused. "I was just wondered if you wanted to go down to the restaurant and have a meal. The hotel can provide someone to be here with Chey while she sleeps. It only takes a phone call."

"Dinner? You mean like just the two of us."

"Yep. Dinner. That meal you eat later in the day to stop you from going to bed hungry."

He shot her a lopsided smile and she eyed him warily. "Just you and me dinner?"

"Yeah. We don't really get to have much 'you and me' time. And I still think we have a lot to learn about each other. I add to my list of twenty questions every week! And I want to talk about Chey. You have to teach me how to not let her walk all over me!"

The eyebrow was still raised. "So you want to take me to dinner…"

"Well yeah. People have to eat right?"

"They do. But me you and a posh restaurant dinner sounds a lot like a date and I don't want to be stepping on your woman's toes!"

"It's not _that _kind of a date. It's just, this trip is for Chey, and she's having fun, but there's no reason why you can't have a good time yourself. When was the last time you went out for a nice meal? You now have all this money and I know you won't spend it on yourself."

Mercedes had to think honestly and realized that her birthday week was the last time she'd been out for anything posher than lunch, coffee or Al's Burger. Old habits die hard.

"I'm not sure Sam…"

"Look, I'm not going to pressure you into something you don't want to do. I'm just putting it out there. We've come all this way. The hotel is designed so that you can be free to do your own thing in the evening when the kids are asleep. Treat yourself to something nice."

"I did that last night with my bath and the wine."

"You have to think bigger than that Mercedes. Parenting is hard work and you shouldn't feel guilty for taking a break."

"No Sam, parenting is a responsibility and I have no intention of shirking it."

He shook his head slowly. "I'm not saying you should. We spent the whole day with our child giving her our undivided attention. Now she's asleep there's time to have some adult time without being a bad parent."

"I understand that. But…" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you just saying all of this because you're hungry and want something to eat?"

Sam felt infuriated. He wanted to do something nice for her but she always tried to deflect it. "Yes I want to eat. But I don't want to eat alone. Plus I think it would be nice for us to just talk sometimes. To have a chat without there being some big agenda behind it. Last night I abandoned you because of work. Let me make up for it."

She sighed and he knew that she could sense what he was trying to do. "Okay. How about this for an idea? I really don't feel like eating anything else tonight. So how about you order yourself something from room service and instead of me watching you eat something that will inevitably be laden with calories, I'll go and have another relaxing bath to unwind and we can open a bottle of wine and have our very own lazy pajama party. Then tomorrow, I will make sure that I eat less so that we can go to the restaurant and I can make the most of it."

Sam thought of it for a moment. "Wine and pajamas? I feel like I've been invited to a girlie sleepover! Is it true that those things consist solely of girls in skimpy nightwear having slow motion pillow fights and giggling?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Only in male fantasies. I will be in my pajamas and a robe just like this morning and my wine will be one glass made into a spritzer to lower the calories. You will sit on one end of the couch and I will sit on the other. Because for some stupid reason I have decided to trust your ass. Don't make me regret it!"

He smirked at her. "I'm a perfect gentleman!"

"Really?"

"Really. So much so that I'll confess that it wasn't until this morning that I noticed my ensuite has a whirlpool bath which you're welcome to use if you want your relax to be extra special. I'll be in here catching up on my emails so you'll have your privacy."

She smiled in thanks and he watched as she disappeared into her room to grab her things.

An hour later he was done with his emails and sat curled into the corner of the couch flicking through the TV channels when she made her appearance dressed as she'd promised with her hair up in a messy bun. She looked very natural and homely like she had in the morning.

"Is red okay?"

She nodded and sat cross-legged in the opposite corner of the couch as and he flicked off the TV and started to pour.

"Just half a glass."

He poured a generous half and leaned towards her to hand it over, catching a familiar scent wafting from her. "You smell like Chey!"

She laughed. "I took the wrong lotion into the bathroom and thought 'what the hell' so I just used it. It's actually really nice."

"I know. It was just a bit disorientating for a second."

Mercedes took a small sip of the wine and smiled. "This is really nice."

"I know. It's one of my favorites. Do you want some more?"

She shook her head and ran her finger along the rim of the glass. It suddenly occurred to him that she probably didn't want to drink too much around him.

"So what did you have to eat?"

"Steak."

"Steak?" Her voice was disbelieving." After everything we already had today?"

He chuckled. "I think I burned a lot of calories running after an excited six year old since the crack of dawn!"

"That's true. We did seem to cram a lot in. Was the steak any good?"

"It was okay. Not a patch on those Mickey Mouse pancakes from this morning tho!"

"Yep. They were awesome. But don't think that excludes you from your promise to Chey. She still asks when you're coming to make her pancakes. I told you she doesn't forget stuff like that!"

"Damn! I'll add it to my list." He took a sip of his wine. "So how was the whirlpool bath?"

She smiled as she nodded slowly. "Those jets are _really _good."

"In that case I might have to give it a go myself later. I'm not getting any younger and sitting Chey on my shoulders for so long probably wasn't the best idea."

Mercedes tutted. "I said you'd regret doing that and you didn't listen!"

"Yeah well... I was feeling like Superdad at the time. Let a man have his moment! I've missed out on so much so far…. It must have been so great watching her grow."

"It was. But time goes really quick."

"Would you ever have more kids?"

She shrugged. "I enjoy motherhood, but I don't really think more kids on the cards."

"Why not? You're an awesome mother."

"If I was to have another child it would be while I was in a stable healthy relationship. That's not exactly my life right now." She shifted slightly. "So what about you? At least you've actually got a girlfriend. Would you guys ever think about it?"

Sam was stunned. He hadn't expected her to turn the question back around on him. "Kirsten's not ready for kids yet. She has her career that she wants to pursue first."

"Ah yes, a career. I used to want one of those."

"So why didn't you?"

She shot him a look that instantly made him realize how stupid he was for even asking the question. For a moment he was lost for words. It was slowly starting to sink in just how much their brief moment had changed her life while his had his had continued as if nothing had happened.

"So what's she like?"

"What's who like?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Your girlfriend. This Kirsten chick."

"She's okay. You might have seen her on TV. She sometimes does the weather report in the mornings on channel 7."

She thought about it for a moment. "Wait… Kirsten… You mean Kirsten Kane? The redhead with the really long legs and really short skirts?"

Sam nodded sheepishly.

"But she's like… twelve!"

He laughed. "She's twenty-four!"

"Stop trying to pretend that it doesn't make you sound like a perverted old man!"

"It's not like she's some student or some airhead model. She's a meteorologist! She studied hard and graduated top of her class! And it's only eight years between us! She's a professional, just like me."

Mercedes nodded. "Uh huh. I really hate to say this Sam, but there's a lot of meteorologists out there with more experience and longer skirts who could do the same job as her. But I guess a pretty face and a slim figure gets you far in the cutthroat world of TV presenting."

"I'm sure it wasn't like that."

She arched an eyebrow. "Hey, I'm not saying I'm casting shade here, but surely you know what I mean."

"No I don't know that you mean!"

"I mean do you really think she would have that job if she had exactly the same qualifications but looked like me?"

"But you're gor-"

"I wasn't fishing for a compliment Sam, I was stating a fact." She took another sip of her wine. "But your love life is none of my business unless it directly involves Chey so I'll drop the subject."

"Okay…"

"And anyway, aren't you supposed to be loading me with questions?"

"Ha! Yes… alright!" Sam poured himself a second glass of wine and offered more to Mercedes but she shook her head. Despite her sips her wine looked barely touched. "First question… What is your favorite color?"

Mercedes frowned. "Really Sam? You say you have all these questions and you ask my favorite color?"

He grinned. "I'm starting you off gently."

"Okay. My favorite color is purple. What's your favorite food?"

"That depends on my mood. I love pizza' at Stevie's and Rosa makes the most amazing Mexican and Thai food. Plus I'm now suddenly developing an obsession with homemade cookies…"

She laughed. "I wonder why that might be? Ha! So it looks like even though you can eat in the priciest of restaurants you're still a home food boy?"

"Definitely. If you'd grown up around Rosa's food you would understand why. It makes no sense at all that I was scrawny as shit. My turn… what was Chey's first word?"

They perched on the couch, each curled up at their respective ends, asking each other the stupidest questions they could think of and laughing like a pair of children. Sam learned things like the most embarrassing thing Chey had said in public while Mercedes learned that Sam had five scars from football and one from having his appendix removed. Twenty questions became 'never have I ever' which became 'what was the name of'. That's when the questions became slightly more interesting. First pet and favorite teacher soon turned to naming the first movie star crush (Sam to Mercedes) first real crush (Mercedes to Sam) first person to send you a Valentine's card (Sam to Mercedes) then she asked him something that initially made him choke on his sip of wine.

"What was the name of the third girl you ever slept with?"

"That's a _very _personal question!"

She shrugged "Stop deflecting."

Sam sighed. "Third?"

"Yeah. I want to know if a lothario like you would still remember."

He thought about it briefly. "Third girl I ever slept with was called Shelby. Shelby Corchoran. It was while I was in college. We met at a party on campus. She was cute and I wasn't. We exchanged numbers and I thought nothing of it but then she spent the next few days hotly pursuing me. To be honest I was pretty flattered. Girls who didn't know my surname didn't pursue me at that point in my life because I was still growing out of being a geek, and single hotshot businessman Stevie was getting all the attention. But she was relentless and I was a nineteen year old boy with hormones. I just thought my luck was in. Then two weeks later she came out as gay and I realized I was just a test to see if she swung towards boys or girls. Somehow my manhood failed and it knocked my confidence for a really long time."

Mercedes' eyes were wide. "Wow!"

"Wow for what? Remembering or being used as a sex toy?"

"Both I guess. I suppose having an experience like that makes your playboy reputation make more sense."

Sam said nothing. He didn't want to continue that line of conversation. "My turn. What was the name of the first boy you kissed?"

"The first boy I kissed?" The question was more to herself than it was to him. Sam was about to mock her for not even being able to remember when he noticed a change in her expression that stopped his words before they came out.

"The first boy I ever kissed was called Riley." Her voice was quiet and it took him a moment for the significance of the works to sink in. Suddenly the mood changed from light and fun to extremely heavy.

"Riley? As in Chey's middle name?"

She nodded.

He opened his mouth to ask another question but quickly realized that if he stayed quiet she would probably continue on her own. She'd already said this much and for her to name her child after him meant that there was definitely one hell of a story behind it. There's no way she would just leave it there.

He was right.

"Riley was quarterback in my high school football team, your typical good looking high school blond jock. His family had moved over from Kentucky and he caused quite a buzz, immediately joining up with all the popular kids. Our paths would never have even crossed apart from the fact that we were in the same singing club together."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You sing? How did I not know that?"

She shrugged and nodded slowly. "I sing."

It surprised him and he filed that morsel of information away for future use. No way was he going to distract her from her line of thought right now. He needed to know why the hell his daughter had been named after her first kiss!

But as he watched her he could see her whole demeanor continuing to change. Gone were the smiles from their stupid conversation. She shuffled in her position, bringing her knees up to her chest and avoiding his eyes.

"Anyway, I always thought he was cute but that's as far as it went. We barely spoke. There was no need to unless we were in the music club. He even went out with a classic looking cheerleader friend of mine for a bit but that didn't last long. Girls like me weren't on his radar. I was always just the fat black girl in the loud clothes who sang the big notes whenever we were in a competition. But then one day it came out that both his parents had lost his jobs and now he was homeless and I felt terrible. The whole class had ganged up on him for being spotted with two different students at a motel. We all automatically assumed he was up to something sleazy. We had no idea that he was actually living there and they were helping him out.

I should have stuck up for him but I didn't. The fact that I didn't know the truth was irrelevant. I shouldn't have assumed. Now you know why I held back on going postal on Puck before I heard his side of the story. Mad as I was at the time. It was something Riley had taught me to do. I never want to be guilty of making a mistake like that ever again.

So I went to the motel to apologize in person and found him in a state of panic. He'd taken a job delivering pizzas and was supposed to be leaving for his shift but his mom had been called for an interview and still wasn't back yet. He had a little brother and sister who couldn't be left in the room alone and the neighbor they usually got left with was out. I offered to stay with them but he wasn't sure. It was a big trust to leave them with someone they'd only met once and who his parents had never met at all. But finally he was so scared of losing his job and the income that it would bring so he let me do it.

I had fun with the kids and when his mom came back she cried because she was so thankful that I'd helped. She said Riley's friends were amazing and I felt bad because not only did I not really count myself as a friend, I had been part of those who were judging.

I knew there wasn't a whole lot I could do for his family financially but I gave her my number and said anytime they needed a sitter I would be happy to do it for free because the kids were so cute and that was my way of helping out.

Somehow through spending time with the kids I found myself spending more and more time with Riley too. Despite being a jock he was also a bit of a geek like me and we used to laugh a lot. He could never truly be himself when he was with the popular kids but when he was with me it was different. We had lots in common like being massive Avengers and Doctor Who fans and he would start to find excuses to hang out with me and the kids if he wasn't working or came home early. When it came to prom he wasn't going to go because he had no money and of course I didn't have a date so I wasn't going to go either. We'd set the entire day aside for a Star Wars marathon. But one of the girls from singing club came up with the amazing idea of 'prom on a budget' and miraculously the three of us managed to pull it off.

Somehow the three of us got split into two sets of two when her ex joined us on the night but it was fine because Riley and I were having our own good time. So good, in fact, that he walked me home and that was the night I got my first kiss. I couldn't believe it. Riley was this majorly popular guy and I was this fat nobody. Even though I liked the kiss I was embarrassed and didn't know why he would do something like that. So I didn't talk to him for a couple of weeks… because I thought it was a setup.

Riley tried everything to force me to talk to him about what had happened but I managed to evade him until one time he got me to the motel on the pretense of babysitting and trapped me in there until I was forced to listen to him. He told me that the last weeks had been torture for him. He missed me and he missed our friendship. He'd kissed me because he'd wanted to for a while and felt that the moment was right and I might return his feelings. When he saw that the kiss had upset me he thought that he had ruined our friendship and that I hated him. None of it was further from the truth. I was avoiding him because I _liked_ him, more than as a friend, and didn't want to get hurt. He thought that I wouldn't want him because he was poor and a geek. I thought he wouldn't want me because I wasn't thin or classically pretty.

We were both wrong about each other. So we sat in the middle of the floor of that motel room, took each other's hands, and we talked. _Really_talked. About how felt about each other. Everyone looked at Riley and just saw a dumb blond jock. But he was more than that. He was quietly observant and understood people. We could talk for hours and actually have meaningful conversations. I tried hard to convince him that we would never work. He tried hard to convince me that we would. He won, and suddenly from that moment I had a boyfriend. He wanted to tell the world and I was scared of the reaction. As a compromise he said we could stay a secret for the summer but when school started up again he wanted to show me off and didn't care what others said.

That summer with Riley was bliss. There was no money for lavish dates so most of the time was spent just chilling together at the lake. But it was perfect. And every time I doubted myself and what was happening, he would force me to look into his amazing green eyes and I knew how he really felt. He couldn't hide his emotions from his eyes. Whenever I looked at them I could see that he adored me. That he _wanted _me. It was a feeling I got lost in.

Riley was my everything. My first kiss, my first boyfriend, my first… you get the picture. Those long summer weeks were perfection. It felt like I was in a dream but then I would look into his eyes and see something in them. He saw me. He thought I was beautiful. He actually desired and wanted me._Me! _This beautiful boy had decided that the fat sassy girl who he could talk to for hours about total nonsense with was his soul mate. And I felt it too. We were only sixteen but I loved him with all my heart and it was just us with nobody else to destroy our peace. I didn't even tell my mom and he didn't tell his parents. We were going to announce it together just before school restarted. That particular hell could be postponed as long as possible."

Mercedes wasn't crying but her eyes were glazed. She was lost in the past and now sat silent. Sam worried about distracting her if he spoke or touched her but he needed her to finish her story. He needed to know how his child had ended up with this boy's name. In the end he had to speak up. "So what happened?"

She looked down and started to play with her hands. "His dad found a job. At first I was excited and couldn't understand why he wasn't. Then he told me that the job was with his old firm back in Kentucky and that the whole family was going to have to relocate. Those two weeks before he left were the hardest ever. We tried to spend as much time together as we could but things kept getting in the way. On the final night we both snuck out to the lake and slept on a blanket under the stars wrapped in each other's arms. We cried, and made love and promised we would do everything we could to stay in touch and make things work.

Mom caught me sneaking back in the next morning and grounded me for a month. I didn't care. I didn't want to go anywhere if Riley wasn't there anyway. For the first week we were in touch constantly. He told me about his new home and how his father really liked the job. He was going to go back to his old school and had hooked up with some of his old friends. I lived for hearing from him. I cared about nothing else.

And then suddenly silence. No calls, texts, nothing. When I tried to call it went straight to voicemail and texts returned undeliverable. I was going crazy. The following week school started and on the first day we were called for a special assembly and… and they told us that Riley… that he… had been hit by a driver in Kentucky."

Mercedes reached into the pocket of her robe for a tissue to catch the tears that had now started to stream. Sam leaned forward to touch her but she backed away, refusing to meet his eyes.

Hard as it was for him he had to let her be as she continued her sad tale. It was like she could only speak if he gave her space so he reluctantly did.

"He was on his way to buy milk for his family because they'd run out for breakfast. It should have only taken ten minutes and when he wasn't back after thirty his dad panicked and went to look for him. He got there at the same time as the ambulance. Apparently he died instantly which was some comfort but he had been buried the day before school restarted.

Riley was gone. He had died alone in the street and nobody even saw it happen. They think that even though it was morning the driver might have been drunk and lost control because there was a tyre track on the sidewalk. His phone was never found. They reckon it probably got knocked from his hand and somebody found it on the street and took it.

The school set up counseling for the football team and students that were close to him. I never went. Who the hell would have believed that I was his girlfriend anyway? They also set up a memorial with his picture where students could leave flowers and cards. It was right outside our homeroom. I pretended to be sick for a week just so that I didn't have to go to school and see it.

I couldn't talk to anyone about it because nobody knew. So I used food as my crutch to get me through. I didn't care how I looked. The only person on the planet other than my mother to have told me that I was beautiful was now gone. I would never be able to recapture that beauty.

Senior year was crap. I was depressed, weighed more than I ever had and didn't even bother going to senior prom because I had no date. Mom took me to the doctor because she was worried and I just lied and said I was stressed about my weight so he gave me some diet pills. I never told her what happened with Riley until Chey was born and I named her. To this day, she and Quinn are the only ones who know."

She sat, staring into space and clutching her knees to her chest. Sam was stunned. This was something she clearly never spoke about. But she was suddenly sharing it. With him.

"I won't ask any more if it upset you. You don't have to feel like you need to tell me anything."

Mercedes nodded and sat silently for a moment before turning back to look at him. "I told you because I need you to understand. It goes towards explaining why I was the way I was that night. Why I did what I did that night."

He shook his head. "There were two people doing something that night. You can't take it all on yourself. I kissed you first."

"But I kissed you back! I gave you the green light! I can't have you think that I'm just some-"

"I don't Mercedes. I don't think that at all. You should know that by now. I could tell even then that you were different. Please don't ever think that I think you're-"

She held up her hand. "Please Sam. Let me just finish my story. I know you want to know why I ran away that night and I'm getting to that. I'm already halfway there and if I don't say it now I'll probably never say it."

He sighed. She didn't want to listen to his reassurances right now but at least he would hear her out first. He did wasn't to know what was going through her head that night. This seemed like it was something she needed to get out. He felt like a shrink, having to impassively listen while she spilled her guts instead of comforting and reassuring her but if that's the way that she wanted it in order to get her story out then he would have to go along with it.

It took a few minutes of silence and a good deal of hand wringing for her to continue. "College didn't start great but I got into singing and dancing and started to get fit. I was still big though. Then in my third year I met a guy called Shane at the gym and we became friends. I was rooming with a girl called Harmony and he was the brother of her friend. After a while we became more than friends and even though the way I felt for Shane was nothing on how I felt for Riley I was happy to keep the relationship going. He said that he liked me just the way that I was and I believed him. We stayed together all through the final year and decided to get a place together after graduation.

As soon as we moved in together things changed. He got a job in PR pretty quickly and spent huge amounts of time with his colleagues. Suddenly I wasn't good enough. He wouldn't out rightly say it, but every day there would be small comments about my weight, my hair, the way I dressed and even my makeup. I worried that maybe now that we were in the big wide world I was no longer enough for him. I couldn't understand it. Where was the guy that had said he liked me just as I was?

I tried to make it with my singing but got nowhere so I took a receptionist job. Shane told me nobody wanted me to sing for them because I was fat. So I started to lose weight but the fat comments continued. Anytime he saw me put anything in my mouth he would say something. Then I lost my job because my company was downsizing. I'd only been there a few months so it was 'last in first out'. He told me it was probably because they didn't like the look of me at the front desk.

All the rejection really hurt. However hard I tried he just wouldn't look at me anymore. He was out with his new friends and when he came back he would never touch me or complement me. We were like strangers living under the same roof and I felt like he barely tolerated my presence. Even though I was losing the weight the comments came more and more frequently. Then I started hearing rumors about him cheating. I didn't want to believe it. Then I started to think maybe he _was _cheating, and it was all my fault for not being enough. He worked with all these glamorous people and I needed to fit into that mold otherwise I would never be able to keep him.

I tried so hard. I lost so much weight. I practically stopped eating and exercised like a crazy person. I changed everything that I was and it still wasn't good enough. Harmony and I still stayed in touch and she said she hated what he was doing to me. He had been slowly chipping away at my personality and my confidence and I needed to confront him.

So one day he came home late, smelling of perfume and I did confront him. We had a huge argument which got physical and ended up in us having makeup sex. I know now that that was stupid but at the time I really thought things had been fixed at that point. It was the first time we'd done it in months and the first time in a long time that he'd held me in bed. He obviously found me sexy again. All the effort had been worth it after all. So the next day I thought that I would surprise him. He said he was working from home that day and I was out doing a new job but left early, bought massage oils and a sexy outfit, got dolled up and snuck in quietly.

He was home but he wasn't alone. They hadn't even shut the bedroom door. I didn't even need to step into the room to see them. He was fucking some blond fake boobed bimbo into the mattress. On our bed. On _my fucking side_ of the bed! It was like I had been turned into stone. I couldn't move and I couldn't tear my eyes away. She was moaning like a porn star and he was calling her all kinds of disrespectful terms. His back and ass were still covered in the scratches I'd made the night before and my stomach turned. She saw me first and at least had the courtesy to look guilty. He just rolled off her and smirked. He said that it was all my fault. That he would never be in this position if I kept him satisfied and why would anyone want me looking the way that I did. He said I should look at the other woman and take notes on what men really wanted. He was still speaking as I ran out of the apartment and threw up into a trashcan.

I moved in with Harmony and we went back to the apartment together when we knew Shane was out to get the rest of my stuff. He'd already boxed it and left it waiting for me at the front door. I cried for days and barely ate. Then I fainted at work and the doctor made me take a pregnancy test just in case. It was negative but I was so scared because I realized we had forgotten to use anything when we did it. I can't take birth control because it makes me sick. The doctor told me I was anemic and needed to eat more and I assured him it was just because of stress and I was fine.

Over the next few weeks Harmony did everything she could to try and cheer me up. She thought I was just sad about Shane, but she had no way of knowing that his words had also brought up my feelings for Riley and I had started grieving over him all over again too. I was a mess and Harmony decided that I needed a night out. By then I was so slim I even fitted into some of her clothes so she picked me out one of her sexiest outfits, got me dolled up and told me we were going out to prove to the world that I was sexy. That's how we ended up at your club.

She was right. I did get a lot of stares that night and it initially make me feel good. But then we started hanging with these two guys. Harmony was getting on well with one but the other one just kept looking at me like I was a piece of meat and it made me feel worthless again. Eventually she disappeared off with her guy and I was all set to go home but the creepy one was hanging near the exit so I thought I would try to find another route out. I wandered around for a bit then somehow ended up on the roof. It was a mistake and I was going to leave straight away but then I saw the view. It was so calm and serene up there and I couldn't face going back in to the lights and the noise so I stayed. Nobody could see my cry out there and I calmed down pretty quickly.

Then you appeared. You made me smile for the first time in ages and for some reason I sensed that you weren't some maniac who was going to rape me and toss me over the edge of the roof. So I let you hug me because at that moment I needed a hug more than you could ever know. But you didn't just hug me, you held me. Riley used to do that. He knew that sometimes words were not enough and I just needed to be held.

And then you told me that I was gorgeous and pretty and beautiful. They were just words but your eyes… they reminded me of his too. Not because they were green, but because you looked at me as if you really saw me. _That's _why I kissed you back. I convinced myself that maybe you felt something too. Shane had made me feel that no man would ever desire me again but one look from you blew that out of the water. I was being selfish. I was feeling sad and I'd been drinking, not enough to be drunk and not know what I was doing, but enough to find the voice to tell you not to stop. But the second your phone went off the spell was broken and the reality of what I'd done hit me. I didn't do that kind of thing! I was just about to turn 23 and up until that night I'd only ever had sex with two guys and I was in a relationship with both of them when it happened. I felt sick at myself for being so stupid. I'd got carried away and I'd just had sex with a complete stranger. I had no idea who you were at that point. And then you said to the person on the phone that you weren't doing anything... Just chilling on the roof… What we had just done was nothing to you. I had to go. I felt so ashamed. I went straight back to the apartment and pretended it never happened.

That's why I left that night.

A few weeks later I got sick. I thought it was a tummy bug but it just wasn't getting any better. I was asked if I could be pregnant and I said no. I'd done a negative test after being with Shane and I knew that we'd used protection the night we met. The doctor said I should humor him and do one anyway and it came back positive. I was stunned and immediately assumed that the first one I'd done was a false negative. The last thing I needed was to be pregnant with Shane's child.

When I told him he went crazy. He called me a stupid bitch and told me to get rid of it. There was no way in the world I was ever going to do that and he told me not to expect any support from him because it was my own fault and I was just trying to trap him.

I felt terrible. Harmony kept seeing him around and begged me to speak to him but I wouldn't. I couldn't understand why she was suddenly being so supportive of him. He wanted to kill our baby and I wanted nothing to do with him and nothing from him. Then when I went to have my first sonogram everything changed. It turned out I wasn't as far along as we all thought I was. There was no way that Shane could be the father.

I told Harmony and she flipped. She said that Shane had told her I was a cheater but she'd never believed him until now. He started sending me horrible texts calling me a slut and all sorts of awful things. I wondered why they turned on me so quickly then I realized that Harmony had started sleeping with Shane behind my back which is why she was suddenly on his side.

I wanted to die. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone anymore so I moved in with my mom. It was only by chance that I happened to see something on TV with a picture of you and your brother and realized who you were. I hadn't planned to ask you for money, I just wanted you to know that I was having your baby, but Rachel Berry made sure that I knew you weren't interested either. You were a playboy and I should have known. The fault was mine.

Within a few months I'd lost a boyfriend, a best friend and was pregnant by a man who wasn't interested. I was never going to make it as a singer and was now destined for a life as a single mother living with her mom. All I ever wanted was to sing in front of a massive audience. Just once. My life was in pieces. The only thing that kept me going was the knowledge that I had another life growing inside of me that I was responsible for. I didn't care about myself but I could never harm my baby. Some nights I think that was the only thought that kept me alive.

I used to sleep a lot and dream about Riley. In my head I would imagine that the baby was his and that we could live happily ever after. My dreams were great but the reality wasn't. I went through a dark time and naming Chey helped keep his memory alive. I never made it to the funeral but strangely enough it gave me a form of closure.

But anyway, all's well that ends well I guess."

Sam sat, frozen, staring at her completely speechless. He had no idea that she had been going through so much in her life. He wanted to hug her but knew that was entirely the wrong thing to do right now. It's just that he didn't know what was.

Her story was heartbreaking. He nearly spilled his forgotten wine Mercedes suddenly stood up.

She looked at her watch. "Sam, it's 2am. We need to sleep. My head hurts and I really need to lie down."

_Shit! Where had the time gone?_

He could see the emotion etched on her face and knew that she would be feeling emotionally drained from their conversation.

"I'll see you in the morning Sam." She had already crossed the room and her hand was on the door to her bedroom. There was so much he wanted to say back to her but she wasn't giving him the chance. Just like that night she was running away. Only this time she wasn't going to get that far.

But for tonight he knew he could do nothing. "Okay. But tomorrow we talk again. Okay? I'm booking the restaurant and when Chey goes to bed we'll have some proper time again."

Mercedes said nothing and disappeared into her room. He knew he couldn't follow her because Chey was asleep in there and he knew that she was needing a bit of space away from him right now.

"Just as he had finished putting the wine glasses into the sink she appeared at her doorway again. "Sam… I've never told anyone the whole story like that…"

"I know. This conversation was just for me and you so we can understand each other. I've drawn a line under it already." He knew that they would never revisit this moment or this conversation again and she seemed to see in his eyes that he understood.

"Thanks."

She started to go back when he stopped her. "And Mercedes, thank you for trusting me with all that. It couldn't have been easy for you to say it."

She said nothing, simply stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

With a frustrated sigh he returned to his own bed and lay there for a long time thinking before falling into a fitful sleep.

* * *

**_Had to end it there as it was getting pretty heavy. Next chapter will be a bit lighter and Mercedes will let her curiousity over Kirsten get the better of her over dinner..._**


	18. Disney: Part 2: The Best Intentions

_**I'm touched by how touched you all were by the last chapter. At least it's now clear why Mercedes is the way that she is. She is a seriously strong woman.**_

* * *

Sam woke up with a headache. He tried to attribute it to the red wine that he shouldn't have kept refilling but he already knew the real reason. He'd tossed and turned throughout the night with his emotions running riot. At one point he had even grabbed his phone and scrolled through the contact list until it reached the name Matt Rutherford.

He didn't give a fuck that it was the middle of the night. Just one phone call... That's all it would take. One short call to get someone to find the surname of this Shane guy. One call to mark the beginning of the end of the shithead who had caused so much hurt to someone he cared about. Actually her so-called friend could be included in that too.

But then he thought about Mercedes. She wasn't about revenge. Her heart was too pure and good to start trying to pull shit like that. It was a shame because he sure as hell wanted it for her. She was all about forgiveness. Hell, after everything he had put her through she was still willing to allow him to be a part of her life. That said more about her than anything else could. Mercedes Jones had suffered unspeakable tragedy in silence yet eventually pulled her way through it and dared to move on, only to find the person she was with to not be the person she had hoped he would be. How could the stupid fucker go from saying he liked her as he was to forcing her into become something else and _still_ not be happy? And why had she allowed him to eat away so much of her confidence and yet stay so loyal?

But then the guilt had set in and it fell heavy on his chest. That night on the roof she had already been upset, but ultimately he had shit on her too. Without knowing, he had casually undermined something that was huge for her. His few simple words on the phone had come off as callous and dismissive. She had been going through hell but let him into something intimate and he had said it was nothing._ Nothing!_ How could he! And the worst part was that night he hadn't been ready to let her go just yet. His plan _had_ been to find out more, not let her slip out of his clutches!

Dragging himself out of bed was hard. He had no idea how today would play out with such a big thing between them. Would there be tension or would they act as if nothing had happened? Would Chey pick up that something was wrong? What if Mercedes decided that she wanted to go home early? There were all sorts of ideas ringing through his brain as he tried to prepare himself for the day ahead.

As he stepped out of his room he caught sight of her in the kitchen setting up plates and chatting to an excited Chey. She looked up at him with a smile. "Your timing is perfect. Breakfast has just arrived and I was about to send Chey to wake you up. Knowing her, she probably would have done it by dive bombing onto you!"

Relieved that she seemed okay, Sam matched her smile. "I guess I'm lucky I got up when I did then!"

"Daddy!"

Chey ran over to him and unceremoniously flung herself into his arms.

Mercedes continued setting the table and he watched her intently. He had expected to see her still upset or at least have a face reflecting the kind of turmoil that he was still going through. But instead, here she was, busy being a mom, focusing on her daughter not herself. She was calm, serene and almost happy. Considering how late they had stayed up talking and how he had imagined she would have cried herself to sleep afterwards, she looked surprisingly rested. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. After the way she had shut him down the first time that he had broached the subject of their first encounter, he started to suspect that it was something she always knew she was eventually going to have to tell and was now glad to have let it out.

He couldn't help but stand and watch her for a moment as she moved around the kitchen. While he had been focused on revenge, she had clearly drawn a line under the past and moved on to someone who was more important. He didn't doubt that she still hurt, and there was a hell of a lot to be hurt about, but it took a lot for her to pass through it and not self-destruct like she could easily have done. It was something that he couldn't help but respect and made her a far better person than most that he knew, including himself.

"If you insist on just standing there, Chey and I will happily split your pancakes between us!" She was smiling at him but her eyes reflected concern. She could tell that he was thinking about last night again and her eyes warned him not to go there. It was over, finished, done with. Last night Sam had promised it would never be spoken of again and she was going to make sure that that happened.

He bit his lip in frustration and joined them at the table, thankful that he hadn't set the ball rolling on this Shane character. If anything had happened and news of it got back to Mercedes, her forgiveness at his breaking her trust would probably not be too forthcoming and nothing would be worth breaking her trust and potentially his relationship with Chey.

Forcing a smile he moved towards her. Chey had patted the chair for him to sit next to her and was thrilled when he did, allowing him to pour syrup onto her Mickey Mouse pancakes. It was hard pretending that nothing was wrong. How the hell did Mercedes do it on a permanent basis? But she did. She smiled, laughed and gave no indication to the world that her life was less than perfect.

Together they had yet another spectacular day in the Magic Kingdom. Sam had grovelled to allow Chey to have a fairy princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique despite Mercedes' reservations about her wearing makeup, and she even got to keep it on when they all got dressed up for a vintage style family portrait. He did incur the wrath of Mercedes once for allowing Chey to have candy after she had expressly been told no, but apart from that the day was as amazing as the previous one. All three of them spent it in awe of the wonder that was Disney, and Sam mentally noted to himself that they were _definitely_ coming back for longer next time.

Chey chatted non-stop throughout the day and he understood why Mercedes would sometimes find it tiring. The child was inexhaustible. The fact may or may not have been exacerbated by her increased sugar intake due to him.

Mercedes was still reluctant about dinner even though she had already said that they would definitely go. She had insisted on making sure that Chey was in bed and asleep when the sitter came, and was to be called the instant anything happened. But she was a woman of her word and dinner was going to happen.

As they made their way towards the elevator down to the restaurant he felt he had to tell her the thing that had bothered him the most about her story.

"Mercedes, can I just say one thing-"

She looked at him and her eyes narrowed. "No Sam. It's over. I only told you because you are the one person who deserves to know, and you promised last night that it ended there."

As the elevator doors shut, leaving them alone in the enclosed space, she turned her back to him and moved away slightly, her body language telling him that she wasn't going to be receptive to anything he might say.

But he had to try. "I know. But there's one thing that _you_ deserve to know too."

He saw her back tense. "Me?"

He nodded. "It's about when I took the call… Please Mercedes. This is important."

She turned slowly and finally met his eyes.

"I wasn't planning to take that call but it was Puck. He was downstairs wondering where I'd got to. I know I had a bit of a reputation at the time but… well it's not like I was going to just tell him what had happened as if I was bragging about it. It wasn't like that for me. I promise. I just said the first thing that came into my head when he asked where I was I wasn't about to go shouting out our business. And until you said it back to me last night I didn't even have a clue that you'd heard the conversation, let alone felt that I was dismissing what we had just done. I actually ran after you but you'd moved too fast. I searched the entire club and even went into the security office to see if I could see you on any of the surveillance cameras but it was like you had vanished into thin air. Then I had to go back before Puck sent out a search party."

The elevator doors pinged open and she started to step through but he grabbed her arm. "Please Mercedes. I thought about that night often. I felt bad. For all my reputation I'm not one who sleeps with nameless strangers either."

She looked at his hand on her arm then up at his face in an identical move to the one she did on the fateful night and he immediately let her go. "Please Mercedes! Just let me tell you that I'm sorry!"

"I heard you." She spoke quietly and avoided his eyes.

"Then I'll never mention it again."

Just as she stepped away from him the elevator doors started to close, nearly trapping him inside, and he had to jog slightly to catch up with her by the restaurant entrance and they stood to be seated.

"Table for two?"

"Yes please. Somewhere quiet."

"Of course. If you'd like come this way…"

They followed the maitre'd to a small table in an alcove to the side of the restaurant and they were both relieved to see that it was very secluded from other diners. As usual Sam pulled out her chair and watched as she carefully examined the drinks menu.

"What are you staring at?" She didn't move her eyes but continued to read while she challenged him.

"Nothing. You just look like you're concentrating really hard, that's all."

"I'm debating if I'm going to drink at all tonight. I feel like I shouldn't because I've had wine the last two nights."

"One glass each time. And you're on holiday. Now is the perfect time for you to treat yourself before reality kicks back in tomorrow."

She sighed. "Yeah. Tomorrow... I can't believe how fast this weekend has flown by!"

"Neither can I. But we've had a good time. And most importantly, Chey had a good time."

"She definitely did."

Sam grinned. "And just to forewarn you, Chey really wants to visit the Animal Kingdom so we're going to have to do that at some point."

The response was an arched eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes. Really." He grinned.

"So…" Mercedes shot him a look of suspicion "What we're saying here is that Cheyenne actually _asked_ to come back and go to the Animal Kingdom?"

"Well not as such…" Yet again Mercedes could see right through him.

"What do you mean 'not as such'?" She was enjoying this and he hated that she was enjoying it.

"So maybe I might have sown the idea into her head about coming back to see the Animal Kingdom..."

"Aha! Now we're getting somewhere! Isn't it simply that _you _want to come back to Animal Kingdom and you're _using_ your daughter as an excuse?"

"Not entirely-"

"Not entirely, but _somewhat_. Is that what you're saying?"

Sam couldn't tell if she was joking or not because her face was so serious. "Okay so maybe I would like to go to the Animal Kingdom. I discussed it with Chey and she'd like to go too."

"I bet it was a fascinating conversation."

"It was. We talked all about how the animals can roam free and how there's a really nice hotel that we can stay in where you can see the animals from outside the windows."

This time Mercedes did crack. He could see the mischief in her eyes. "So let me get this straight, our six year old child has already researched hotels in Animal Kingdom and is aware of the various amenities they have? I must say. I'm very proud to be the mother of such a genius child."

Sam laughed. "You should be. She's amazing. But seriously, do you think we could come back?"

She smiled. "We should definitely come back."

They ordered their food and Sam convinced her to go with a light white wine which would complement her fish and wasn't too alcoholic.

"There's just one thing that we do need to get right before we do anymore trips like this…"

Sam looked at her sheepishly. He knew this was coming.

"…I know that she does this adorable begging look, but no really does mean no!"

"I know. And I'm sorry."

"You should be Sam. I know you think it might not be serious but really it is. Children are clever. Chey has always known that she doesn't have candy in the morning. There are no exceptions. If she's given them in the morning she can save them and have them once she's finished her lunch."

"But I thought just a couple would be fine seeing as she's on holiday…"

"You thought Sam. You thought. And exactly how much child rearing experience do you have to date? I know you want to be superdaddy and not put a foot wrong but she won't hate you for giving her boundaries. Kids _need_ boundaries, but they will also push them. And their favorite way to do it is by persistence and 'divide and conquer'."

Sam frowned. "Divide and conquer?"

"Yep. That's the one you fell for this morning. Chey know she couldn't have the candies yet but she still asked me and got the expected negative answer. Then she waits five minutes til my back is turned and asks you. She knows that she shouldn't but she also knows that if she gives you the big eyes you'll say yes and it will undermine my ruling. We need to work together. You should have given her the same answer as me. No means no. It doesn't mean ask daddy because he'll say yes. She'll never get any consistency that way."

"So what should I have done?"

"You should have said no straight away. She already knew that would be the answer so she would have accepted it."

"But what if I'm not sure?"

"Then ask. If she's coming to you the chances are she already came to me first. She used to do this with me and mom and Artie all the time. Just ask her 'what did mommy say?' and tell her to stick with that answer. If I'm around then just say 'let's ask mommy' and we'll talk it through and come to an aswer together."

"And if you're not there to ask?"

"Then you're the adult and she's the child. Think the answer through and whatever answer you give, make sure that you stick to it because she needs consistency. You already know the principles and after today you understand _why_ there are rules to do things like limiting her sugar intake or checking how excited she gets."

Sam nodded. "I understand."

They suddenly fell into silence when the realization gradually hit that it had been implied that there may be times when Sam gets to set a rule. Was she giving him more freedom?

Mercedes quickly decided to change the subject to something else which had been bothering her as the food arrived. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"I know I keep going on about this but it's something that's bugging me…"

"Okay…" He watched as she frowned and appeared to select her words carefully.

"I know I sort of asked when you first brought up this Disney trip, but you didn't really answer and I just need some reassurance. Are you sure your girlfriend is okay with all of this?"

Sam sighed and dug at his food. "She'll be fine. She knows that I'm away this weekend."

"With me?"

"I don't see how it's any of her business!"

"You've been with her for the best part of a year Sam. I know you say it's not serious but you don't drag things like that out for nothing. She could end up potentially being Chey's stepmom!"

That last sentence bothered the hell out of Sam. It wasn't even an idea he would entertain.

"Why did you frown when I said that?"

Good question. Why did he frown at the thought of that? Why was it so important to him to keep Kirsten out of his family life as much as possible? Why was it that he didn't see Kirsten as having any relevance in the side of his life that involved Chey?

Sam could see Mercedes looking at him, growing concerned by his silence as thoughts ran through his head.

"Sam I don't want to come across as all in your business but I think you need to be careful. I don't want anyone to get the mistaken impression of me as being 'the other woman'. I've been in a similar position before and it makes for a lot of insecurity."

"It's nothing like that!"

"_I_ know that and _you_ know that. But how does it look to someone outside? If I was her and my man suddenly started spending time with another woman, I know I would be mad, however innocent it may be. The way it looks from an outsider point of view is that if you can't be honest and upfront then you have a reason to hide. And that's damaging to a relationship. I don't want to be the cause of that. And I know that if anything was ever to go wrong for you, it would be my name that's mud, whatever the real circumstances might be."

"I'd never let that happen to you!"

"Then be careful. If you give her reason to hate me she could make trouble and we don't need that. There's already enough people happy to do that without good reason. Don't add to the list."

Sam was really hating that Mercedes was right but had to admit that he did need to be more careful. He drummed his fingers on the table.

Mercedes de-boned a section of her fish. "So how much does she know about me?"

"Not a lot. She wouldn't have known anything if she hadn't snooped around and found the book you gave me."

"Sam, take it from someone who knows, women snoop around when they're feeling insecure and lied to. What did you say when confronted you?"

"The same thing we'll tell everyone else. I have a kid. It happened years ago but I'm trying to live up to my responsibilities. I sort of had to lie about the book and say it was like a status update."

"I don't want you to feel that you have to lie Sam."

"I know, and I admit that wasn't my cleverest moment. But I had to say something."

"And did she buy it?"

"I think so. I managed to distract her after that but she knows that Stevie knows so my story is backed up and she's calmed down a little bit over it."

"You distracted her, huh!"

Sam prayed that she didn't notice him blush. He did feel guilty for trying to use sex as a tool to get Kirsten off his back that night but he no intention of telling Mercedes what he was really up to when she'd called. "She'll be fine. Yes she can sometimes be a bit annoying and childish but she's really not a bad person."

"Hopefully that's true. You do realize that when this comes out it might actually be useful to have someone like her who also already knows so that it's not such a huge surprise."

"You could be right."

"But only if she hangs around that long."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, and I really hope you don't get mad at me for saying this, but you're kind of treating her like crap at the moment. Every spare moment you have is with Chey, and I love that about you, but you need to learn to manage your relationships better. I know Chey's a kid and Kirsten is an adult but she can still get jealous of the time and energy you're investing in her. Especially if it seems to be increasing from something she never noticed to something you're clearly suddenly doing more and more."

"Are you trying to tell me how to run my relationship Mercedes?" He could tell that he sounded put out but he really didn't want to be discussing Kirsten with her.

"No, I'm not telling you how to do anything. I'm just offering you a female perspective and from a female perspective it doesn't look like you're treating your woman right. When you care about someone you give her your 100% and I really don't sense that happening. You say it's not serious but at the same time you stay in the relationship for an extended period of time. And you demonstrate in other areas of your life that you actually are a serious person. It's confusing. And I bet she's getting these mixed signals too!"

"So you're saying I should break up with her?" Sam couldn't keep the annoyance from his voice.

"Nooooooo! I'm not trying to dictate your life in any way, and I'm sorry if it sounds like that was what I was trying to do. I'm just trying to remind you that… I guess I'm not explaining myself too well… It's just that you're trying to do lots of things to try and make Chey and I feel special, but you also need to do the same for her. Don't neglect her because of us. It won't work out well and it'll bite you in the ass in the worst possible way."

Sam scowled and yet again hated that she was right but right now he was feeling defensive. "How do you know I'm neglecting her. How do you know we don't have a romantic few days together already planned for when I get to London?"

"I don't know. And if I've come over as in your business then again I'm sorry. But I can only say it as I see it. If for every nice thing you do for us, you also do something nice for her, then things aren't so bad. But you have to remember that what applies to me also applies to you. You told me that if something makes me unhappy, it affects Chey and therefore becomes your business. But the same can apply the other way because Chey will pick up if you're stressed and I never want her to feel that any problem in your life is actually her fault. Because that's what kids do. They wonder if mommy and daddy argued 'because of me'. They think every bad thing that happens is because of something they've done and I will not let her end up being in the center of your drama. So if you think I'm selfish for worrying that any upset in your relationship can bring the shit down on me, that's fine. It's a valid point of view, totally wrong, but valid nonetheless. But I will _not_ have you let a girl create drama because you didn't take care in your relationship and have her point the finger at our child as the cause of it!"

Sam was stunned. He was definitely not expecting _that! _"Wow Mercedes! I didn't know you were so worked up over it!"

"Neither did I! I'm sorry for the rant. It's just that I put the TV on this morning and when I watched the weather I suddenly thought about her and how she was in a position to either make things easier or harder for us, and as a protective mother I just don't want you to accidentally do something to upset her and trigger chaos!"

Sam sighed. He was worked up and needed to calm down. It wasn't that this was stuff he didn't need to be told. It's just that it was stuff he didn't want to hear. Especially from somebody who knew nothing about his relationship and clearly had little relationship experience herself. He held up his hand, a gesture he suddenly realized he had picked up from her. "Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore. You made your point and I understand why you feel that way. I don't want this to turn into a fight. But I will promise to be more careful with my relationship if you promise never to bring it up again. Do we have a deal?"

Her eyes narrowed. "We have a deal."

Sam was left with an unsettled feeling. What was it about Mercedes trying to get him to work harder at his relationship that put him so out of joint? Yes he had the gorgeous hot girlfriend, but suddenly his life had changed and the things he now saw as important had changed.

Hell! _He_ had changed. Would pretty little Kirsten be able to keep up with all of that? Were there other questions he needed to ask himself that he hadn't yet thought about?

They sat in silence for a moment as the dark air cleared, both trying to think of something to change the subject.

"I have some news!" Mercedes suddenly smiled. "Mom and Artie have set a date."

"Really? When?"

Mercedes cringed. "Are you ready for this? It's a plan that has Artie's name slapped all over it!"

"It's bound to be something original then!"

"Surprisingly no. They're getting married on Valentine's Day. In Vegas!"

"Whoa! Please don't tell me they're getting married by Elvis."

"Nope. By Al Green. Or should I say, _the reverend_ Al Green."

"The man himself?"

"Probably just an impersonator. At first I couldn't see my mom going down the aisle to 'Let's Stay Together' but then sometimes it does make a scary sort of sense."

"Hey, you had me at scary!"

She laughed. "I seem to remember you called her sexy too!"

"That was a misquote. I seem to remember I was actually saying-"

"Hey, that's our dessert coming over. Do you mind if I just pop to the bathroom?"

"Sure."

Yet again she'd cut him off but at least they were no longer mad at each other. A few moments after she'd gone he noticed that she'd left her bag and found it refreshing that she genuinely had gone for the right reason, not just to doll up which was what most bathroom breaks were for in his experience of women.

By the time she returned he had started on his dessert, a lemon soufflé mousse and made sure to leave exactly half in the ramekin for her. She only ate two spoons of the chocolate version before sliding it over to him. She blamed her diet and wanted him to save her the calories, but was more than happy to finish the lemon one. That was something he liked about her. Even with her diet she did eat. And she was relaxed enough to share food without getting funny about it.

Thankfully the conversation remained light and they laughed at stories of Chey's misbehavior before heading back up to the villa. It wasn't too late, but with an early flight, coupled with the intensity and lateness of the night before they decided to retire early.

The final morning was much more somber. Chey was upset to be going home although she did cheer up slightly at the thought of going back on the plane. Sam didn't want the weekend to end either. It had been a Disney come true experience that he knew Stevie would be jealous of and he'd learned so much about Mercedes that would help him with her in the future.

Mercedes was still slightly quiet. She was also sad that the weekend was over but also still nervous that she had overstepped the mark with Sam. Sure he had been fine at the end of dinner but he really had been super defensive at the mention of his girlfriend and she really should have let it drop much sooner. She was getting up at the same time of the morning as she usually did for Blaine, but somehow this morning her body didn't want to move.

Sam came out of his room dressed for work in another sharp suit because he was going directly from the airport to his mid-morning meeting. It was definitely a good look on him. But then again, so was the casual relaxed dad look.

That evening felt weird for Mercedes, back in the house that she felt she hadn't been in for ages, but at least Quinn was there in the evening with wine for the fourth night in a row, waiting to hear all about the weekend.

Sam went back to his empty apartment after a long day at work. Kirsten was supposed to have met him for dinner but she'd gone shopping for London (where she was only going to go shopping yet again) and had run out of time. So he spent an hour uploading and sorting through pictures of the weekend on his ipad. Memories were definitelyy priceless. It was hard dragging himself away from the task once he had started but he opened and read some emails before preparing for the next day at work. At some point he was going to have to get packing soon…

* * *

Thursday came both quickly and slowly. If there was a way to get out of this trip he would, but he Sam knew that there wasn't. Stevie was apologetic. This should have been a fantastic trip for Sam, but who would have known he would suddenly spring ties just before having to leave? The next time they were guaranteed to see him in the flesh was for Thanksgiving. Sam was going to come the night before and stay the weekend in New York. He'd hoped to try and come back briefly before then but Stevie knew that the reality would make that impossible. It amazed and impressed him how quickly his brother had bonded with his daughter and he clearly saw the changes for good that it had brought about.

And then it was time.

Sam knew he could just make a call, but instead he asked Carl to make a detour en route to the airport. The look of surprise on Mercedes' face as she opened the door was priceless.

"I thought you'd gone!"

He shook his head with a smile. "I'm on my way to the airport right now. I just came to pass on a message from Stevie."

She turned to the stairs. "Chey! Come down now! You have a visitor!"

There was a squeal and the little girl came running.

"You know you could have just called with the message."

"I know, but then I wouldn't have got to have one last cuddle!"

Chey flew into his arms like a bullet and he picked her up and squeezed her. "Now you be a good girl for mommy, right?"

She nodded sadly and Mercedes debated whether this was actually such a good idea after already having to deal with goodbye tears after the Disney trip.

"So what was this message that you needed to pass on?"

"It's about Thanksgiving. Are you busy? Because Stevie and Holly have invited you, Chey, your mom and Artie to join us. Please say you'll make it!"

She smiled. "I'd love to Sam. But I just need to check with mom first to make sure she doesn't already have plans for us."

"Okay. But if you do have plans then you have to cancel them because we do an awesome Thanksgiving, it's a huge thing in our house."

"Okay. It's not been such a huge thing for me since I did my American Indian studies but will definitely be up for it for Chey's sake. And I enjoyed spending time with your family. Plus it was really kind of them to include mom and Artie."

"You already know what they're like now. It's the kind of thing we just do."

The was a honk of the horn and Sam was reminded that Carl was waiting. He didn't have much time. "Okay, so one last cuddle for daddy!" He squeezed Chey tight and tried to ignore the stinging sensation at the back of his eyes. Why should this be so hard?

"You too sugar!"

He extended his arm to include Mercedes into the hug and she let him. Relishing the family moment he stayed still for a couple of seconds, painting it in his brain before kissing Chey's forehead and turning to do the same for Mercedes. Somehow she moved her head upwards and he ended up tracing his lips down her forehead and continuing down to the tip of her nose before touching foreheads with his eyes closed, and holding there for a moment, just inhaling her. Chey bumped their heads with hers and giggled which broke the moment.

Whatever the moment was.

But it was definitely a moment.

Sam nervously cleared his throat. "Right. I'd better… um… I'm late." He bent down and put Chey back on the floor, kissing her one last time.

Smiling up at Mercedes but intentionally not looking her in the eyes he quickly turned and rushed back to the car where he could reflect on what the hell had just happened between them as they pulled away.

Mercedes closed the door and leaned against it with Chey hugging at her legs and wondered why the hell her heart was now beating so much faster than usual…

* * *

**_Noooooooo! Mercedes! What are you doing? You weren't supposed to be talking Sam further 'into' his stupid relationship! She had the best intentions but DAMMIT woman! Don't cockblock yourself! Lol!_**

**_Teeny tiny bit of Samcedes tension is developing. When will it all come spilling out? Is she now starting to regret the things that she said? Is Sam? Will Kirsten?_**

**_It's all going to make for a very interesting Thanksgiving!_**


	19. While The Cat's Away

**_Sorry for the delay on this update. I've been dealing with my sorely neglected real life together with a huge dose of writer's block so I hope it's come out ok._**

**_This chapter is scene setting and character building for the next one so if you're expecting Thanksgiving you'll be disappointed. Sam's away for 6 whole weeks and I needed to fill that void. Just because he's not here doesn't mean life doesn't move on if you know what I mean… (nudge nudge wink wink)_**

**_Special chapter dedication to Leeisme for the most amazing reviews ever written and for really making me think about what I put in and not giving me the chance to be lazy in my writing. Lol!_**

* * *

"What are you looking at?"

Mercedes quickly spun the screen out of sight. "Nothing!"

Quinn frowned. "Really? You were staring pretty intensely just now!"

Mercedes flushed and quickly backed her browser a couple of screens. "I was just Googling something… that's all."

"Right… Well I've completed my 'seek and destroy' mission of your closet and suggest we have a bonfire for these items." She held up a black bag of clothing.

"What's in there?"

"Mostly sweatpants. And not just those horrific gray ones! There's also the horrific brown ones, the 'bl-bl-bleh' blue one and the 'what the hell were you thinking when you bought this' white one in _exactly _the same style! Plus that ugly navy cardigan you always wear when you bake. The damn thing even has a hole in it! I could have sworn I removed some of these before but they seemed to have made a reappearance..." She side-eyed the hell out of her friend and Mercedes shot her a guilty grin before shrugging.

"Do what you like with them. They're too big for me now anyway!"

"Now _that's_ something I've been waiting to hear you say in a long time! I'm so glad to see you out of your 'hiding' clothing. They were so ugly. And when I saw you wearing them when Sam was around I wanted to scream! You needed to take more pride in yourself! Thankfully you are now!"

"That's because I feel better than I have in a long time."

"I know. And it shows. I wonder what could have triggered it?" Quinn grinned mysteriously. "All I know is that I'm missing my cookies!"

"Hey, I always thought cookies were a bad sign!"

"Only certain flavors! And yes I am naming and shaming the peanut butter and chocolate chip even though I love them so much."

"Well you'll be pleased to know that I'm now more than capable of baking cookies without devouring the entire batch!"

"I know. And I am sooo proud of you for it!"

Quinn tickled her waist and Mercedes grinned. "Speaking of edible goodies, I got you some from Disney!" She smiled as she handed her friend the childish treats and Quinn chuckled as she looked through the bag of candies together with other branded paraphernalia. "Thanks honey!" Quinn leaned over and hugged her.

"It's nothing." She hugged her back, failing to notice Quinn peeking at the screen and silently wondering to herself why Mercedes had been searching Google for images of Sam Evans and Kirsten Kane in London…

"Anyway," she pulled herself back "I'm here so that we can go over your wardrobe for your hot date tomorrow!"

"It's not a date!"

"You're meeting a great single guy for drinks and maybe a meal. That's a date Mercedes."

She guiltily thought about her meal with Sam in Disney and how he'd had to stress that it was not 'that kind of date' before rapidly bringing her thoughts back to the present. "I wouldn't read too much into it right now."

"Mercedes. I remember him from your birthday dinner. Not only is he fine, he seemed like a really nice guy and you deserve to go out and have some fun. It's great to see you doing that! And don't think I haven't noticed how you smile whenever he sends you a text... This is good for you. I can see a positive change and whatever it is that's putting a smile on your face needs to continue."

"Well I have to admit that he does make me smile…"

"Well then. It's sorted."

_But he doesn't make my heart race like it did the moment Sam said goodbye…_

Mercedes had purposely avoided thinking about that. Immediately after it had happened, whatever 'it' was, she'd barely had seconds to recover herself before Chey had got upset all over again. The poor thing didn't entirely understand but she knew her dad was sad because he was going away and that made her sad too. Yep. Mercedes had to have imagined 'it'. The very strange 'it', which, when she tried to describe it to herself, was actually probably less of an 'it' and more of a 'nothing'.

Besides, it was a stupid fantasy to imagine that Sam saw her as anything other than the mother of his child. And that itself was the product of a random anonymous hookup, rather than him actively pursuing her because he was interested in anything more than that.

"Mercedes?"

"Huh?" She turned her eyes from the spot in the middle distance back to her friend.

"Mercedes you totally spaced out for a moment there! You must really be into this Moe guy!"

She flushed slightly at the thought that her distraction had actually been over another man entirely! But Quinn wasn't wrong. Moe was definitely in her thoughts too. And his persistence was showing that he might turn out to be someone that she actually _would_ have a chance with. She needed to get this conversation back on track! "I already bought a load of new stuff and a couple more dresses arrived this morning too. Let's go upstairs and have a fashion show!"

Five dresses, eight outfit combos and a lot of giggling and teasing later they settled on slightly more 'professional' look of black pants and a delicately tailored three quarter length sleeved blazer with a feminine top underneath to soften the look and make it a little date-like without looking as if she was offering herself too much in any way. Planning the outfit definitely made Mercedes feel more confident about her approaching night out.

"And you know what the best thing would be if things go well with your date…"

Mercedes narrowed her eyes, dreading to hear what her friend would come up with.

"The best thing is that you'll be able to come on double dates with me and Puck! That would be totally amazing! In all the years we've known each other we've never done anything like that before. It would be so cool to be able to start doing things like that together!"

"It would!"

Mercedes loved her friend. They'd come through so many crappy feelings together and there were times when they had both felt that they were destined to grow old alone and unhappy. But now things had changed and they would never have believed that they would have ended up the way that they had! She looked at her watch. It was nearly lunchtime and still several hours before she was meeting Moe. Plus she definitely was not going to be meeting a man for drinks on an empty stomach. "What do you say we go out for a celebratory lunch?"

"Lunch?"

"Yeah. Sam says I don't make the most of the fact that I can do stuff with my money and he's right. So today, you, me and Chey are going to be 'ladies who lunch'." She grinned widely. "So what do you fancy? And please bear in mind I'm thinking less Al's Burgers and more 'Sex In The City'…"

"Wow! Listen to you! I think I'm _liking_ the Sam influence! I say we hunt down cappuccinos and paninis somewhere."

Mercedes nodded. "That sounds good to me! And I think I know just the place so let's grab Chey and run!"

* * *

The next few weeks went by surprisingly quickly. Mercedes found that she missed the time that she spent with Sam at the weekends. It was still a relatively new arrangement and their flexibility had meant it had not been set to specific times or days but she still felt a hole from where their time together had been. Whenever Chey would sit and play Mario Karts she would moan that Sam wasn't there with her and even when it came to cleaning, she had discovered that in her head there had been a subtle change in the naming of the guest bedroom into _Sam's room_ even though he had only stayed there twice. She considered allocating him a certain amount of space to keep things there if he wanted before deciding that a suggestion like that would be far too forward.

But at least there were plenty of other things to fill her life with during those weeks.

Holly had been thrilled when she had called the day after Sam left to let her know that she and Chey would be coming for Thanksgiving. She passed on the apologies for Dionne and Artie. Artie's family had already invited her to theirs this year now that they were newly engaged and Dee was going to go and meet more of her future in-laws. When Mercedes had called with the invitation she had been working up the courage to call herself and explain that she was going to be with Artie. It shouldn't have been so hard, but with everything that had happened in Mercedes' life, this was actually the first year that they were to be spending Thanksgiving apart and she was excited that they would each be spending it with their 'new' families. Of course Dionne had been sad to miss the opportunity to be in the same room as Stevie again and made sure that she hounded Mercedes to put in a good word in order to try and get a Christmas invite instead causing Mercedes to produce an eye roll of mammoth proportions.

Holly's delight that she and Chey were going to come initially surprised Mercedes, despite her previous warm welcome But as they continued to communicate, Holly invited her over to spend time on more than one occasion. She had been to the house several times now, both with and without Chey and even some of the security staff were now starting to recognize her and her vehicle.

Mercedes found that she really genuinely enjoyed Holly's company. The age gap felt like nothing at all, especially as Holly didn't even look or act her age. They would sit, drink herbal tea, eat cookies and discuss the trials and tribulations of pregnancy. Holly was looking positively huge and had resorted to only wearing dresses due to the effort of trying to get pants on. Sometimes they would watch movies or eat weird foods together. She constantly reassured her new friend that the mood swings were normal and that Stevie wouldn't hate her forever for being irrational, even when she knew damn well when she was being irrational and still insisted on a losing nonsensical argument.

All being well the babies were due just before Christmas and the excitement was reaching fever pitch, as was the desire to just get them out! She was still too scared to do much shopping but felt more and more positive by the day about the pregnancy. The influx of well wishes after the pregnancy was announced also served as encouragement for her.

In return Holly shared tales of the Evans family. Mercedes knew that they were a crazy bunch, she didn't know just _how_ crazy. But it warmed her heart to hear of their closeness and it made her appreciate all over again what Sam had done to include her and Chey into their special little unit. She didn't admit to it but she loved hearing all about Sam. She knew he could be geeky but she'd had no idea of the true extent of it. Sam around his family was truly a different person the one that was on display for the rest of the world to see. She had already known this to be true because Sam with her and Chey was also a different person to his business persona, but it was nice to know that it was something that was normal for him. She'd noted the easygoingness between him and Holly when she had come for the first lunch and could clearly see that there was a lot of affection there, but not in an improper way and it made her happy to know that he could be that way, and that whatever had happened with them that night was a momentary slip on her part which he would hopefully have forgotten about on his return.

She also learned more about Holly herself. She was surprised to find out that despite growing up in America, Holly had actually been born in Australia. An even bigger surprise that she was already a divorcee before meeting Stevie! Straight out of college she had married a guy after a two-week whirlwind romance. They'd stuck it out for three years but ended amicably because they both knew they were each at fault for trying to build a marriage on such a poor foundation. But the stigma of what had happened lasted far longer than the marriage itself. Like Sam and Stevie she didn't have living parents but she did have an older step sister and niece living in Australia although they weren't particularly close. She did however, have a college pal who would be joining them for Thanksgiving too in lieu of family.

As promised, Sam had stuck religiously to his Skype dates with Chey. The little girl would jump around deliriously at the distinctive sound of the Skype ring on the laptop and would always insist on trying to put her face far too close to the screen whenever she spoke. Every week Sam would have brought her a gift which he would show off and explain in detail, only for it to arrive by courier a couple of days later sending her into yet another dizzying bout of excitement. Somehow Chey would remember every detail of every day to tell him and she actually asked some very clever and intelligent questions back. Mercedes would often leave the room and return to find them still talking about why the soldiers in London wear funny hats or why French people eat snails. Yet every conversation would always manage to turn around to when exactly she was finally going to be getting her 'daddy' pancakes. Because much to Sam's disappointment, the Mickey Mouse ones in Disney didn't quite cut it as him living up to his promise.

One time he had even FedEx'd a cartoon he had drawn while he was bored during one of his meetings. On a sheet that was clearly ripped from a larger pad it was a caricature style drawing of him, Mercedes and Chey laughing with various Disney characters in the background. Even though it was hastily drawn it had captured them all perfectly, Sam with his large mouth caught in a lopsided grin and Chey with her button nose, bright eyes and unruly hair. Mercedes had been incredibly flattered by his portrayal of her. He'd drawn her eyes large and doe-like with a certain twinkle and her lips mid-way between a cute pout and a smile. There was actually a lot of emphasis on her lips. It almost looked as though other than her eyes, they had been given the most care and attention. She was secretly pleased with the picture as it had featured her curves in sexy proportions and actually made her look quite pretty.

Is that how Sam saw her?

Chey had loved the picture the instant she saw it and it now had pride of place in the playroom. At first Mercedes had been a little unsure of having a picture of Sam up on display but Chey was insistent and it was safely tucked away upstairs, far from the eyes of the average visitor. The child had a bad habit of constantly wanting to touch the piece so it was on her list of tasks to find a suitable glass frame for it to keep it protected.

Of course she had made sure to thank him on his next call but didn't initiate any other conversations. She hadn't purposely meant to avoid him when he called to speak to Chey but she always managed to find excuses not to be around too much. She still communicated with him via text to arrange their call times but found it hard to look at him without guiltily flashing back to the way that she had felt after his final visit, teamed up with the fact that on more than one occasion, what had started as a memory had turned into a daydream where his lips had continued travelling from her nose to her lips and stayed there far longer than was polite under the circumstances. Whenever Sam was on screen he would always try to initiate conversation with her and she would reply politely, she just wouldn't extend the conversation and she could tell that sometimes her doing that disappointed him. But maybe he just didn't feel as weird about it as she did.

On the other hand, she had no idea why she should feel weird when things were going so great with Moe. Drinks for the first date was a success. She could definitely say that she had a really good time, and they got some street food to eat afterwards rather than a formal sit down meal which was nice because it allowed them time to just be relaxed as they walked through the park and talked. Moe had been away on business for a few days himself after that but they'd stayed in touch and met again for a meal when he came back. The man was as funny in the flesh as he was in his messages and she definitely did have a good time whenever she was with him. The more time they spent together the more he wore her down with his charm. It stunned her that someone like him would find her attractive but he repeatedly said flattering things and made her feel incredible. She missed that feeling and the attention that came with it. For someone to look at her and genuinely seem to like what they see lifted her spirits and drew her to him even more.

When he returned they'd gone out for a couple more meals. Time spent with Moe was enjoyable time. It was refreshing to have adult conversation with him and he was always witty. For someone so clean cut and professional it was weird listening to stories of his rebellious high school days when he was known by his full name of Azimo and went around with a crew of other wannabes throwing slushies in the faces of those they felt to be lower on the social ladder than themselves. She thanked her lucky stars that she hadn't been at his school because her being involved with show choir would definitely have put her on his hitlist, despite his reassurances that he would never have slushied anyone as pretty as her. And he knew enough about black women and hair to never make the mistake of getting it wet and facing the wrath that would inevitably follow.

That night, when he had dropped her home he had asked if he could kiss her. The fact that he was so polite totally won her over. It was sweet and gentle and definitely pleasant and she could definitely see herself kissing him again and again. Once she had got inside she had spent the night thinking about the kiss. Just the thought that Sam _might_ have kissed her had made her heart pound and her knees go weak. Her reaction to Moe wasn't quite so physical but she saw that as a good thing. Getting overloaded with emotion with Sam had resulted in a whole world of drama and an unexpected pregnancy so maybe those kind of feelings were not what she should be striving towards. Her reality right now was that she was a woman with a child and life which was less about the passion and more about the practicality. Moe was good looking, kind, considerate and kissing him wasn't exactly a chore so she had to admit to herself that he definitely did tick all the boxes!

Quinn was beside herself with excitement over the whole Moe situation and the little of it that she shared with Holly had made her happy for her too as she enjoyed living the single life precariously through Mercedes. It was nice feeling like a normal woman again and having girlie things to share with others. All in all, life was good. The weight loss was going well and she'd changed her hair to a weave with brown highlights which made her skin glow. The fog had definitely lifted and she hoped that this time it was for good. Letting her story out to Sam had definitely had a cathartic effect and the whole weekend away in general had encouraged her to let loose in a way that hours of therapy would struggle to match. She had even stopped her habit of cyber stalking Sam. Well it wasn't so much cyber stalking as it was a constant need to see if there were any pictures of him in London.

There weren't. One time when she had spoken to him on Skpe because Chey had remembered mid conversation that she really really needed to pee, she had filled the void with general chatter and fished for hints about his life, only to be reassured that 'nobody here even knows who I am and those who do don't give a fu... fudge'!" Mercedes had laughed hysterically at his panicked face trying to see if Chey was behind her and panicking that he may have cursed in her presence.

Before she knew it, Chey was on holiday from school and Thanksgiving was on their doorstep. Sam was due back on the Wednesday night and would head straight to Stevie's home. She would join them on the Thursday for Thanksgiving dinner and stay over so that she could do a Friday shopping trip with Stacey while Chey stayed back with Holly and Rosa. Stacey wanted to get some baby things and said that she needed the extra advice. Saturday was where things had got interesting. Moe had snagged 'money can't buy' tickets to a gig by one of her all time favorite bands but Sam had wanted to come over and spend time with Chey. She'd been torn about how to handle it until Quinn had come up with the seemingly perfect solution. Quinn had been on babysitting duty that night, but suggested Mercedes spend the afternoon with Sam which was what she had already planned to do, and let _him_ babysit in the evening.

Initially she had totally dismissed the idea and had picked up the phone to call Moe and cancel with thousand apologies and then she realized she could sweeten it with the suggestion that he could stay over and do something with Chey on the Sunday, giving them more time together. Sure it would mean a night away from his girlfriend but she would have met her at Thanksgiving dinner by then so she would know that Mercedes was no threat.

The idea had made her nervous though. Sam only had a limited number of days before she had to go back so shouldn't she be the one to put her life on hold for him just for one weekend? On the other hand, they were both supposed to be getting on with their lives and Sam had said that he wouldn't interfere. Moe had gone to a lot of effort to secure the exlusive tickets and she felt bad letting him down but Sam was Sam and ultimately it could cost him some of his precious time with Chey before he had to go away again...

Then again, surely it would actually be another big step in their trust of each other? Alone time with Sam and Chey was rare and she was happy to allow them the opportunity to bond. They already had their own little world, developed in a relatively short period of time. But then, if she did go along with this crazy idea it would feel strange because she had never left Chey alone with a man before. Obviously Sam wasn't just any man but it still felt odd. And as if that wasn't weird enough, how could she ask a man like him to babysit! Surely it would be patronizing?

Quinn had said there was nothing to lose in asking so on Chey's final Skype date she did and was surprised to see that he was all for the idea! He thought that she should go to the music gig and before she even got to the part about him staying over he already mentioned it, saying that if he stayed she wouldn't have to worry about getting in late and in the morning he could finally get to do his much promised pancakes for breakfast.

Once he said it that, it actually did sound like a good idea. Sam didn't mind having some time with Chey all to himself, knowing that Mercedes was only a call away in one of the clubs downtown if anything went wrong and knowing that he would only realistically have to keep her entertained for an hour or so before bedtime.

With all that set in place, Mercedes was able to breathe a sigh of relief and focus her thoughts onto the upcoming weekend and attempt to get over her dread of meeting the woman who she felt most threatened by, Kirsten Kane.

A late night gossipy text from Holly on the Wednesday night put paid to that worry. Apparently Sam had arrived safely but had told them that Kirsten was not going to be coming for Thanksgiving after all.

Was there trouble in paradise?

* * *

**_This chapter was dialogue light so I hope it wasn't too boring._**

**_So Mercedes is thinking about Sam even if she isn't 'thinking' about Sam..._**

**_ And speaking of the man himself, he's back with a vengeance next chapter! (All his POV which is why I wanted to get as much as I could of Mercedes in this.) _**

**_What's his POV of what happened that night and what's been going down with Mercedes in his absence?_**

**_And it looks like some very interesting events have been set up for Thanksgiving weekend…_**


	20. Thanksgiving

**_Special thanks to saysdrewsees on Tumblr for getting me out of my Thanksgiving food drama!_**

**_And congrats on the election America! It's nice to see some good news coming out of the States after all the footage of the storms. I hope none of my readers were too badly affected by it and things can return to normal soon._**

* * *

Sam had been back at Stevie's only a couple of hours when Stacey invaded his personal space by practically throwing herself onto the couch and sitting with her legs sprawled across his. "Why are you being such a grump Sammy?"

Even her voice was annoying and he sighed. "I'm not being a grump!"

"You _are! _You're supposed to be all excited and happy to see us after all these weeks but you're like a sulky teenager!"

He raised an eyebrow and cut his eyes at her. "You're one to talk!"

"Hey! I don't do sulky! I may do a lot of moods but I'm pretty sure sulky isn't one of them. Besides, I thought you were excited about tomorrow. Is it because your girlfriend ditched you at the last minute?"

"She didn't ditch. She knew she was invited here but chose to go to her sister instead. Family trumps boyfriend. She made the right decision."

"You must miss her."

Sam clenched his jaw. It wasn't as if he could explain to Stacey that his overwhelming feeling when he'd got Kirsten's text to cancel had been one of relief. He had spent a lot of time worrying about the potential drama of having Kirsten and Mercedes in the same place at the same time. The two of them had had a long talk while in London and Kirsten now had a much better understanding of the different kind of relationship he had with each woman but after dwelling on Mercedes' hard hitting words, he still felt maybe Mercedes did have a point in worrying about an underlying threat. He doubted it, but he had faith in Mercedes' judgment as a mother.

And there was something far worse which had been bothering him. A new feeling which was most unexpected. It had started with his 'moment' with Mercedes when he was on his way to the airport and it had refused to leave his mind. Something had happened and it had felt like some unknown force had caused the planets and their lives to align for those brief seconds. Him, Mercedes and Chey. A family. A unit. He knew that already, but this was something else. _Something more_... For want of a better phrase it was like something from an episode of Dr Who. A 'fixed point in time', something that ultimately was always going to happen, which cannot be changed, and yet which has the power to influence and change a seemingly already set future.

At first he had attributed it to the emotion of the moment. He had been holding Chey and they had been standing together. A kiss on the forehead for each of his girls. Nothing strange about that. But then what had started with the intention of being the identical kiss to the one he had placed on Chey, had quickly become more than just a kiss on the forehead. It had travelled. And sometimes, in his dreams it had continued to travel, past her nose and down to her mouth. Those lips which he had suddenly taken to drawing in moments of absentmindedness.

No. That wasn't true.

In _every single _one of his dreams it had travelled.

And sometimes, when he was alone in the dark, Chey had mysteriously disappeared and the travelling had continued further still...

But he had a girlfriend. There was no need to think of another woman in this way. He'd been fighting it for the last six weeks and he just had to get over it. So he nodded slowly and responded to his sister's question. "Yeah. I guess so."

Even he was shocked at the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

Stacey was frowning at him. "Did you guys have a fight or something?"

He shook his head. "No. We didn't have a fight..." He suddenly recollected himself and realized who he was talking to. "And my relationship is none of your business."

"Hey I wasn't trying to pry-"

_Where had he heard that one before?_

"I know Stace. It's just that I'm tired and yeah maybe I am a bit grumpy." He forced a smile and shifted towards her. "If we're going to talk about relationships then maybe you can tell me all about this Jake guy because clearly make-up wearing Eden has somehow become ancient history. You have a lot to update me on young lady…"

* * *

It was Holly that noticed it first, later that evening, the subtle darkening of Sam's features. He'd been alone with his ridiculously hugely pregnant sister-in-law having a relaxed conversation about life in London and how he was glad to be back home and looking forward to spending time with them all again. She'd asked how he felt about having the heavy responsibility of Chey's bedtime on his shoulders and he'd shrugged it off. Apparently now that he had several books about parenting downloaded onto his Kindle, Sam was quite the expert. She chose not to use that moment to highlight his apparent amnesia when it came to the fact that all it ever took was one wide eyed bottom lip tremble look to make him turn into putty in the child's hands.

In fact, he had seemed happy that Mercedes was going out and having fun. He really genuinely did want her to be happy and was impressed by the changes she seemed to have been making. He loved the fact that she and Holly were getting on, practically taking some of the credit himself for introducing her to such a wonderful person.

But then she had slipped up and described the outing as a _date_ causing Sam's face to darken and his eyes to narrow. "I thought it was just a music gig! Isn't it just some sort of a girlie night out with Quinn?"

"Oh no. He'd gone through a lot of effort to get the tickets. Apparently the place only holds 150 people and…" That was the point when she had seen a change in him. Somehow the word 'he' had triggered annoyance in his countenance.

"So this is actually a date?"

Something about his tone made Holly want to backtrack but she couldn't exactly lie. Besides, Sam had his own relationship so why should it bother him what Mercedes does as long as it doesn't affect their child? "She's going to see some live music Sam. Make of it what you will!"

"Hmmm... She didn't say that this was a date."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Did you specifically ask if it was a date when she told you about it?"

"No. She just said she'd been invited to a secret music gig I just assumed."

She knew the Evans pout when she saw one. "So why should you be upset if you assumed?"

"Who says I'm upset?"

Holly knew to back down. She could normally read him like a book but this time he was giving off some very strange vibes and she decided that before she jumped to a conclusion she would sit back and quietly observe her brother-in-law for the rest of his stay. Luckily she was able to change the subject and after a couple of minutes he seemed to brighten up again.

For the rest of the evening Sam acted normally. He was little quiet but nothing out of the ordinary for someone who had just travelled from Europe earlier that day. He thought about calling Kirsten but kept putting it off until finally he sent her a text to say that he was back safe and they would talk soon. It wasn't ideal, wasn't what he should have done after being away from his girlfriend of five weeks, but if she wasn't going to make the effort to be there he didn't see why he should have to do the chasing.

* * *

Considering they were five hours behind London, Sam was up at the crack of dawn, raiding the kitchen for various goodies to snack on before breakfast. Opting to go for the healthier option he grabbed a piece of fruit and a glass of water before heading to Stevie's indoor pool for some lengths. For some reason he had a lot of nervous energy buzzing through his body and he tried to work some of it out before it made him too edgy. Yet he couldn't help but constantly keep checking the clock.

He had not had a good night sleep. The anticipation of seeing Mercedes and Chey was filling him with adrenaline. Chey had sounded excited when he had spoken to her at the weekend and Mercedes said that she had been counting down the days until she saw him again. Maybe he should have also sent a text to Mercedes to say that he was back safe. He'd been about to but then he had seen that Holly was already sending her a message so didn't feel it necessary. She'd been a little strange recently and it was probably best to see her in the flesh before engaging in any type of communication. It wasn't that she was being rude, he just had the feeling that she was acting a little 'distant'.

It was going to be hard day though. On more than one occasion he had woken up with morning wood and known his dreams had _not_ been about his girlfriend. The images that had played behind his eyes as he fantasized about sinking into soft flesh as he'd rubbed himself raw had belonged to someone who was the complete opposite to the tall, slim, redhead. And the lines between what was fantasy and what was a vivid memory of had happened a certain night several years ago were getting very blurry indeed.

He moved his thoughts on to Kirsten and dived into the cold water before he worked himself up all over again. One of the hardest things he'd had to do was sit Kirsten down and talk to her about Mercedes. She had arrived in London the day after he had and wasting no time, they had spoken as soon as they'd sat down to breakfast. He'd started it as an apology for not telling her sooner. It wasn't fair to her to not feel able to share such a large section of his life with her. Again, as with the cover story, he was very hazy on details of timings, but he basically explained to her that he had a daughter and was currently working on improving his relationship with her and spending more quality time with her than he previously had been which is why she had been noticing his distraction. Minor details had been amended, like Sam saying he and Mercedes had been a short fling many years ago rather than a one night stand. Nobody needed to know the details of that. Sam had explained about the trip to Disney and how Mercedes was worried that things could damage his relationship and urged him to speak to her before things became a problem which is what he was doing. He should have been upfront with her about the trip, rather than leaving it as a vague ' Florida ' and leaving her to jump to her own conclusions about it being a business trip.

Kirsten had taken the whole thing surprisingly well. She seemed pleased that Mercedes had not wanted to even accidentally come across as a threat to her and she did have initial questions which he answered as best he could. He'd concluded by saying she would get to meet Mercedes and Chey at Thanksgiving so that she could see he had nothing to hide. She seemed to accept that and the conversation ended there. But after that he couldn't help but notice a cooling in her attitude towards him. That first weekend while she had been there with him, he had offered to let her see when he logged into Skype for his date with Chey but she'd opted to go shopping instead.

Work had been busier than anticipated and he was expected to start earlier than he had thought. Those first few days which were supposed to be spent with Kirsten ended up being filled with meetings. Considering she had been the one pushing for them to go away together she certainly didn't seem to mind so much once they were actually out there. After Sam had had to cancel a meal they were supposed to be having at the Kensington Roof Gardens, she'd managed to connect with a couple of 'friends' of one of her college pals who she'd also befriended on Facebook. They were part of the young trendy 'Made In Chelsea' socialite scene and they had offered to take her on a girly night out on the town. After that the three of them had been inseparable. Sam had been busy at work and he was more than happy to let the girls loose on Oxford Street and Westfield to shop to their heart's content. As long as Kirsten was happy he was happy. It took the stress out of having to find things for her to do. So when the next night they had offered to take her to dinner then clubbing he was thrilled because his meeting was overrunning. She loved being out and about and he didn't have to worry about her.

By the end of her five day stay he realized that he'd hardly spent any time with her at all. He would be asleep by the time she crawled into bed and she would still be asleep whenever he woke up. The one time that he did have a few free hours he had returned early to the room to see them preparing for a night out that he clearly wasn't invited to and had no desire to be a part of. Apparently there was a club that prince Harry had been spotted at several times recently and they were going to do their best to get in.

"Kay, your sugar daddy's back!" One of them had shouted and Kirsten had come flying out of the bedroom to hug him.

_Sugar daddy? Is that what he was to her?_

Maybe not at the beginning, but for the whole time they'd been in London , it sure as hell felt like it. Their relationship felt like it was suddenly on a different dynamic. He would come back wanting to relax in the hotel with maybe a little wine and conversation while Kirsten wanted to be out and about every available moment that wasn't being used getting over the hangover from the night before. He couldn't help but think that if Mercedes had been there it would have been a far different visit.

But as long as Kirsten was having a good time he didn't mind. The fact that she didn't need him to have a good time was an added bonus. Kirsten with the girls was loud and excitable. A lot like Stacey in a similar situation. He found her exhausting when she was like that, especially when surrounded by a gaggle of her girlie friends. And now he could see it happening with Kirsten too.

The cracks really showed when it was time to say goodbye. They had kissed, but there was no real feeling in it. And even though this was supposed to have been a romantic trip, they had not been intimate at all. In fact, they hadn't been intimate for a while. Why hadn't he noticed that before? Sam had a high sex drive and usually a trip like this would have involved leaving the hotel room as little as possible!

But the reality was that once Kirsten had gone, he didn't even miss her really. And without her lying next to him at night, it was far easier for his thoughts to drift to another female who was suddenly occupying his mind.

After leaving Mercedes house after their 'moment' he had spent the rest of the car journey to the airport in complete silence. It was enough of a struggle just trying to breathe. Anything more than that seemed impossible.

He could have kissed her just then. What was only supposed to be a peck on the forehead could easily have become so much more. Sure she had moved which is what had started it, but he'd had zero inclination to stop it. He'd had to remind himself over and over that he already had a girlfriend. What had happened when they had stood together, connected for those brief seconds was nothing but leftover chemistry from their previous encounter. It couldn't be anything more.

But it didn't explain why, when 'nothing' had happened, he felt guilty. He hadn't cheated because they hadn't done anything. And yet somehow a line had been crossed by the emotional connection.

Flying over the Atlantic was when the second element of it had dawned on him. She didn't push him away. Whenever he got too close, Mercedes had a way of pushing him back. Whenever he paid her a compliment it would be dismissed before the words were completely out of his mouth. This time she'd said nothing. He'd opened his eyes to see her open hers a fraction of a second later. She had been lost in the moment too. She had _felt something._

And if she hadn't, the fact that she barely looked him in the eye since spoke volumes.

Now today, for the first time in six weeks, he was going to see her again in the flesh. He hoped things wouldn't be awkward, but with Mercedes, sometimes it was really hard to tell.

Swimming lengths really helped to clear his mind and stretch his body, making him feel a little more alert for the day which potentially could turn out to be an emotional one.

Sam had barely dried his hair before the telltale sound of crunching gravel alerted him to their arrival. By the time he had thrown on his clothes and made it down the stairs they had parked up and Chey had already made a run for the front door which he managed to open it just in time.

"Daddy!" Chey was there with the widest smile looking pretty as a picture. Her curly hair was pulled into two bunches and she was already fighting with the buttons on her coat. "Look at my dress!" Realizing he wasn't going to get his cuddle until she was out of the coat he helped her with it to reveal that she was proudly wearing a deep purple colored velvet dress with matching hair ribbons and shoes! Teamed with thick tights she looked just like a living doll. Beyond adorable!

"Annie! You look so pretty!" He grinned as he picked her up and swung her around, closing his eyes briefly as he smelled her lotion and listened to the sound of her giggles. He felt her little arms tighten around his neck and allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Finally opening his eyes he saw Mercedes standing, watching their interchange with a smile.

"Hey Sam."

"Hi!"

She looked…

She looked _amazing_! She'd changed her hair again and was wearing light makeup. After the gap in having seen her, the weight loss was far more apparent especially as she had no coat to take off. She was still very curvy but her waist was much more defined and it was like her bust was even bigger. Team that with smart black tailored pants and the pale gray cashmere tie belt cardigan with flecks of silver that added a touch of dressiness while making her skin glow, the effect left him speechless for a while.

"You're... I mean you look... beautiful." He was genuinely lost for words.

"Thanks. You scrub up pretty well yourself." She cast what he hoped was an appreciative look at his apparel, dark slacks, shirt, jacket but no tie. Then he noticed the heavy looking dishes in her hands and returned to his senses. "I'm so sorry! Let me take these from you."

He wanted to hug her the way that he had hugged Chey but the fact that she was holding a large dish made it impossible. In fact, part of him wondered if the dish was part of a ruse to actively _discourage_ him from trying to embrace her.  
As if reading his mind, she held out the dish to him, creating even more space between them. "This is for you. Well, it's for everybody, but I guess I had you in my mind. It' a sort of welcome back for Thanksgiving thing..."  
"For me?" His curiosity was completely piqued and he started to peek. The aroma rose from the still slightly warm dish before he was able to completely uncover it and the excitement it generated in his body was unstoppable. It was a smell that took him back in time. "Peaches? Wow peach cobbler is my favorite!"  
She smiled up at him shyly. "That's what I heard. I wanted to make something Southern for you guys and was told this would go down really well."  
"It has. Thank you Mercedes." There was no way that he was not going to hug her for this so he balanced the dish in one hand so that he could give her a quick side hug and sneak a chaste peck on the cheek for good measure. As he did he allowed himself one quick sniff. _Damn! She smelled even better than the cobbler and that was really saying something! _He backed away quickly before things had a chance to get weird. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to share this treat with anyone though. I think I'll just take a spoon and lock myself in my room until the whole thing is gone!"  
He felt warm inside at the sound of the first Mercedes giggle in six weeks in response. "Yeah well you might have to fight Chey if you attempt to do that. I'm amazed there was enough filling left after turning my back for less than a minute."  
He shrugged with a smile. "What can I say? The girl has good taste!"  
Mercedes simply smiled her smile and Sam was reassured that despite having given the impression of avoiding him while he had been away, there was going to be no residual weirdness between them for this weekend.  
"Come on. Let's put this in the kitchen. Chey's already disappeared!"  
He led the way and was surprised to see Chey had already found her way there and was excitedly chatting to Stacey who immediately pulled Mercedes into a huge hug before admitting that she was relieved to see her.  
"Where's Holly?" Mercedes' voice was still slightly muffled from the tight embrace.  
"She's still upstairs and so is Stevie. She still doesn't have faith in me to pull this off but I'm determined to prove her wrong!"  
Thanksgiving was usually a large affair in the Evans household with several guests, but as she was very heavily pregnant, Holly was to do no work at all. This was going to be Stacey's first year in charge of hosting and for a nineteen year old she was taking the whole thing incredibly seriously. As usual, Rosa had been given the holiday off to be with her family, but the day before she always did as much of the food prep as possible. Traditionally the Evans' would always supply all of the food for Rosa's own Thanksgiving meal, and she and Holly would spend the day before in the kitchen in a state of intense food preparation. By mid-afternoon, everything was always done and stacked in the fridge ready to be finished on the day. Rosa would then get to leave early to go to her family with a car load of her own ready prepped food, because Holly knew that otherwise she would spend her entire day off still in the kitchen because that was the type of woman she was. And it was their annual gift to her family. The exception had been three years previously when they had invited the whole of Rosa's family to join them. It had been fun, loud, and enjoyable but not particularly relaxing for the woman they had thought they were helping. Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember, but something Rosa begged they never try to repeat again...  
Stacey proudly held up a food stained list. "But so far, everything is going to plan. The turkey had already gone in over an hour ago and I'm just about to add the vegetables with the longest cook time into the oven." She tightened the tie on the back of Rosa 's apron and smiled uncertainly. "What could possibly go wrong?"  
"Plenty!" grumbled Sam. "I'm taking the peach cobbler upstairs and that's me sorted for the day. The rest is your problem.""  
Stacey and Mercedes both shot him dark stares and he grinned innocently before pinching a marshmallow off the top of the as yet uncooked candied yams, yelping in pain when Stacey whacked his hand with a wooden spoon when he took a second one and he tried to cover it up by giving it to Chey and saying it was for her all along.  
"Don't worry Stace," Mercedes pulled an apron out of her own bag "I'll be with you every step of the way!" She returned to side-eying Sam. "Why don't you put the cobbler down and go entertain your daughter who has been excited for days at the prospect of seeing you while us girls work up a little Thanksgiving magic."  
He grinned at his daughter and she grinned back. "What do you say Annie? Shall we go and see what uncle Stevie and auntie Holly are up to?"  
Chey eagerly took his hand and the two disappeared, leaving her alone with Stacey.  
"Why does Sam call her Annie?"  
Mercedes shrugged. "It's some film they watched together a while back."  
"Oh, _Annie! _I used to love that movie and watched at all the time! Have you even seen it?"  
"No, not yet."  
Stacey looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe you should."

The smells wafting from the kitchen were delicious. Chey was exceptionally affectionate and Sam clearly felt just how much she had missed him. They spent time upstairs with Holly and Stevie until Kate arrived with her son Aaron. Sam had met Kate a couple of times before. She was an old college friend of Holly's and had been one of her bridesmaids. A couple of years ago she had gone through a messy divorce with Aaron's father who had basically left her for a younger, plastic model. Sam couldn't understand why because with her jet black hair, almond eyes and olive skin she was an attractive woman. Since he'd last seen her she'd cut her hair into a short bob which emphasized her cheekbones. She often used to jokingly flirt with him, asking if he was into older women just like his brother, but there was no real chemistry there. She was a nice woman. That was all.

Aaron was seven and tall for his age, getting height from both parents. Sam remembered him as being pretty shy and he didn't seem to have changed. Considering there were eighteen months between him and Chey there was a lot of difference between their personalities. Where Chey was compact, he was long and lean. Where he chose his words with care, she would be bubbling over, and quite frankly, he was initially slightly scared of her.  
Sam found it amusing to watch Chey trying to bring him out of his shell. For once she had not started with her characteristic shyness and poor Aaron hadn't known what to do with himself. Luckily, by the time the food was ready, they were practically as thick as thieves. Mercedes had called them to set the table and Sam had felt proud to watch the two interact as they worked together to carefully set things out. He liked the way that Chey had managed to bring Aaron out of himself. He had started by looking as if he might not enjoy the day, but within an hour he had a new friend.  
There was definitely something about the Jones women that managed to make men fall, however hard they try not to, just by being themselves.  
Before long the table was covered in food and everyone was seated. Sam smiled to himself as he looked at the kid's eyes bugging out at all the food in front of them.

Stacey had done herself proud and Mercedes refused to take any of the complements for herself, saying her contribution was one of oversight rather than cooking. Holly looked thrilled when she eased herself into her seat and saw the spread that was laid out before her. There was turkey, cornbread dressing, baked ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, collard greens, corn on the cob, corn fritters, cornbread, biscuits, candied yams, green beans, butter beans, deviled eggs and glazed carrots. He had no idea how they had pulled it all off.

Obviously there was far too much food for the number of people around the table, but Sam and Stevie were determined to put as big a dent as possible into it on their own. Much of it would also be collected and donate to a local soup kitchen for the homeless. It was something that was done by all he homes in their estate and they all intentionally made too much so that they had something to share when the collection came around. Stacey had put in a whole second turkey which was even bigger than the one they were eating and would be ready in time for the collection as well as their usual donations of prepared food care packages and a cheque towards the charity.

As family head, Stevie said grace, and while they ate they all spoke about what they were thankful for.

"I think we should start with the kids." Holly made the suggestion and everyone agreed.

Chey and Aaron looked at each other before bursting into unexplained giggles.

"What's so funny?" The question only made the giggles harder before they were both silenced by hard glares from their moms.

"What are you grateful for Aaron?" It was finally Chey who got them back on track. The little boy actually looked as if he was thinking for a moment before he answered gravely. "I'm thankful that I'm here for Thanksgiving because Kelly makes horrible food and makes me eat everything on my plate because she thinks that makes her a good mom."

Kate noticeably paled. "You can't say that Aaron!"

"But I'm not lying! She even burns eggs! I mean, who burns eggs? She's too busy putting on makeup. She hates kids. She says kids make you fat!"

"Aaron!" She looked mortified that her family's dirty laundry was being aired in front of people while everyone else felt sympathy for her and Chey sniggered before being met with another Mercedes glare.

"Why don't you choose something else to be thankful about." Holly quickly said, diplomatically.

Aaron thought again. "Okay then I'm grateful for you mom. I wish I didn't have to go to daddy tomorrow and I wish I lived with you all the time."

The entire table sat in silence. It was one thing to know that somebody had a complicated family life but quite another to have it brought to the dinner table. Holly had told him that Kate had had to fight to get Aaron for the holiday and had then been left with nowhere to go after his side of the family shunned her.

This time Stevie came to the rescue, moving them on from what was obviously a minefield. "Chey. What are you thankful for?"

She didn't even bother thinking. Her emphatic nodding at Aaron's answer was a clue to what she was going to say. "Mommy." She paused for a second and Mercedes looked proud while Sam looked a little sad before changing the reply to "Mommy and daddy. I like it when mommy and daddy take me places together and play Mario Karts with me."

Stacy let out a small squee. "That's really sweet!"

But Chey wasn't finished. "And Teddy. Because Teddy looks after me when daddy can't be here because he's only a sometimes daddy. And I'm thankful for peaches because mommy made peach pie and she says if I'm good I can eat some later because I like peaches."

Sam grinned. "I like peaches too!" Apparently the love of peaches was genetic.

Everyone laughed at the mention of it and how such a simple thing was a bond of father and daughter but Sam was more than a little caught on the phrase Chey had used. He was a _sometimes daddy.._.

Next up was Mercedes who was sitting next to her. "Okay. Well this year I've had a lot to be thankful for. As well as being blessed with life and good health, I have my beautiful daughter who I will always love more than life itself. And in recent months my family has grown. My mom couldn't be here today but the way she had cared for me and Chey over the years has been awesome, as was the way she forced us both to act like adults about this whole situation. I know we got off to a rocky start Sam, but I will always be thankful for your generosity and the way you've turned my life around. You've not just taken Chey into your heart and your family, you've taken me too… and I will always be thankful to you for that." She met his eyes briefly for a second before looking at the rest of them around the table. "For all of you."

The emotions continued as they went around the table. Holly gave thanks for her ability to conceive and for the health of her babies as well as the support she had received from everyone and the patience of her husband. Stevie gave thanks for their wealth and their health and prayed they never take it for granted and use their gifts for the benefit of others. And most importantly he gave thanks for the love of his wife, his family and his unborn sons. They had already pulled their seats slightly closer together when they first sat and has he spoke he turned towards her and touched her swollen belly gently. Not beings ones to be so rude as to kiss at the dinner table, they simply gazed lovingly into each other's eyes before smiling and leaning in, resting their foreheads gently together before remembering where they were and straightening up again.  
The moment was not lost on the others around the table. Stacey rolled her eyes at their demonstration while Sam was at a complete loss for words. Until that moment he hadn't realized how much the forehead touch was such a sign of affection between Stevie and Holly, but now that he thought about it, it was something they did all the time. Something more powerful than a kiss. As if, by touching heads, they were saying they were of one mind... and one heart...  
And he had done exactly the same move with Mercedes...  
Looking at her from the corner of his eye he could see her intently scraping the meat off a section of bone. Nothing unusual for a meal, but it was only his intense gaze that spotted the fact that she was clutching the knife so tightly that it looked like she might bend it and there wasn't really a scrap of meat left on the bone anyway.  
And had anyone else noticed that the temperature in the room had just gone up by a few thousand degrees?  
Sam gave extra silent thanks for the fact that the moment finally moved on and it was now Kate's turn. She gave thanks for her son and the bond which they shared. She gave thanks for being left with her dignity and for being able to help others who were going through a traumatic time in their lives, now that she had successfully come out the other side. She even lightened the mood by giving thanks for handsome younger men. She'd said it with a grin and an intentionally obvious wink which raised smiles around the table with the exception of the kids who didn't really get it and Mercedes who had forced a grin which honestly looked far more like a grimace. Sam had blushed, knowing that jokes at his expense were inevitable and finding an irresistible need to carefully observe Mercedes' response to having another 'single' woman at the table.  
Stacey had given thanks for her family and for the privileges that it gave her which she fully intended to put back into society rather than squander on a wasted shallow life.  
When it came to Sam he was so caught up in listening to everyone else that it almost caught him out that he needed to say his own piece and left him feeling totally unprepared. He knew what he wanted to say but didn't want his words to come out wrong. For someone who was used to public speaking, he suddenly felt like he was put on the spot. "This year has been pretty crazy for me. There was a lot happening with work and I was just getting on top of things when my life got turned upside down by two people who are sitting with us here, right where they should be. At the beginning of this year I hadn't thought about kids, didn't know much about kids, and I didn't even imagine I could ever be a father. Then suddenly, one minute I'm eating a burger and the next I see that I have a child. And I admit, initially I wasn't in the mood to be giving thanks about it, but as the situation unraveled and I got to know you guys things changed so much. As always I am thankful for the things I have in health and wealth but we already know money can't buy the most important thing and we all know that family is most important to me." He looked at Stevie and Holly "Guys, you are so excited about your babies and I am beyond excited for you. But mine is right here right now. Cheyenne is the most precious miracle in my life and I will do everything in my power to take care of and protect her." The little girl beamed at him, excited to be spoken about. "I will give thanks every day for the rest of my life for having the opportunity to know you..." He turned slightly and made sure that he met eyes with Mercedes and held her stare "...and the amazing woman who brought her into this world and in an act of good faith allowed me into her life and I pray that I never leave it."  
The intensity of his stare caused Mercedes to flush and she quickly forked through her mashed potato as a distraction.  
"Well I'm also thankful for not having had to cook this year. It makes the food far more enjoyable!" Holly grabbed the dish of candied yams and helped herself in an attempt to keep herself from breaking out into a grin at the obvious tension between two people at the table who suddenly couldn't find it in themselves to look at each other anymore.  
The meal continued with a light atmosphere. Kate laughed and joked along with the other adults while Aaron and Chey whispered and giggled together contentedly.  
Despite having full bellies they still dished up their desserts, pound cake, pumpkin and sweet potato pies as well as the peach cobbler, opting to take their bowls and spoons to the lounge where they could relax in front of the home movie system watching the game and eating in very small bites as their bellies allowed.  
Stevie and Sam enjoyed the game while Holly dozed with her feet up, Stacey disappeared off with the kids and Mercedes and Kate sat in a corner chatting relationships. Sam would have loved to have been a fly on the wall next to that conversation but knew their talk was none of his business and any curiosity on his part would only create the worst of suspicions.

The time that Chey didn't spend harassing Aaron, she was being clingy with Sam. Not that he minded after missing her so much but he could tell that it could get tiring after a while. Mercedes, on the other hand, was being downright elusive. It's not that she was actively avoiding him, it's just it seemed far more than coincidental that other than her initial arrival in the hallway, he had not had a chance to talk to her on her own. Or even to be in the same room at the same time. At first it was because she was in the kitchen cooking with Stacey, but after that she always seemed to move whenever he did. It was starting to become downright shady. She'd even moved to sit next to Stevie at one point to 'get away' from him. And yet at the same time, she wasn't blanking him. They'd spoken in group conversations and she had smiled and acknowledged him throughout the day. It was like when he was away. They communicated to organize his Skype dates with Chey and always made sure to say hello, but still managed to remain elusive at the same time.

He needed to talk to her. He needed to ask about the date that she was going on. He needed to know why she was avoiding him. He needed to know what she thought of what happened. Because surely he hadn't made the whole thing up in his head! Something had definitely shifted while he was on his way to the airport. Is that why she 'hid' behind the dish when she first arrived? He missed their talk time. Even when things got intense they always seemed to be able to quickly find their way back to comfortable familiarity. And even without the Chey connection he still considered her a friend. She was one of the easiest people to talk to and he never forgot how much better he felt after spending time with her the night they came back from Tennessee after 'visiting his parents'.

Sam had hoped that seeing her would give him some clarity but all it seemed to be doing was creating more attraction and confusion.  
Before long it was evening. Their donation had been collected and Kate and Aaron said their goodbyes. Mercedes took Chey upstairs for her bath and she came back down in her pajamas to say her goodnights to the rest of the Evans clan. Sam got a bedtime practice run before they went down to join the others for a movie. It was just like a normal day with a family and Sam tried hard to ignore just _how _normal it actually felt. The only thing dampening his excitement was the fact that Mercedes chose to sit next to Holly rather than him, and she repeatedly looked at her phone, frequently with an absent smile.  
She shouldn't be all distracted like that when she was around company. It wasn't fair. And it wasn't right. And what the hell was it that was so damn funny in these texts that it was making her smile like that?

He hadn't been texting Kirsten all day. Hell, he hadn't even thought about her since first thing in the morning! Quickly grabbing his phone he sent her a quick text to wish her a happy Thanksgiving and hoped that her day was going well. The whole day had gone past without a thought of her. She hadn't made it into his list of things to give thanks for either.

At the same time, it's not as if she had messaged him either. These weren't cracks in their relationship. They had somehow got to the point where there were giant caverns!

That night had been hard. Sam lay in bed, thinking of the fact that Mercedes was just a few rooms away and trying hard to repress thoughts that he really shouldn't have been having about her. He played the day over and over again and started to digest it slowly.

* * *

Friday was a blurry day. By the time Sam had woken up, Stacey and Mercedes had already left for their shopping spree leaving Chey to create her own unique brand of mischief with Holly. Stevie was on a conference call so Sam joined the girls in Holly's bedroom where they busy painting their nails. The fumes didn't combine too well with the remnants of his mild hangover and his lack energy to fight the two strong wills resulted in a coating of clear nail polish on his nails, cuticles and, quite frankly, the entire top third of each finger from a giggling Chey.

Thankfully Holly was also exhausted which led to them dozing in front of the first Ice Age movie while sprawled over Stevie's king sized bed while Chey half watched and half wasted an entire notepad with her scribbles.

None of them could face the sight of yesterday's leftovers so Chinese was speedily delivered to them and Chey delighted in the fact that she was allowed to eat nothing but spring rolls because Sam decided there were enough vegetables in them to warrant being an acceptable meal in her mother's absence.

He was disappointed that Mercedes was going to go home that night and nothing could persuade her otherwise. She had promised to drop in on her mom and wanted to keep that promise so her post shopping visit was simply to pick up Chey. Sam could have more sibling time before joining them for lunch the next day.

He still hadn't had the chance to speak with her about her date and he didn't feel that doing it at Stevie's would be the most appropriate thing so he was just going to have to wait. It's just that the wait felt like a really_ really_ long time and it bothered him more and more as he thought about it.

He knew that it shouldn't. But it did anyway.

He knew that he had no right to be annoyed. But he was.

Was he jealous? Probably.

Should he be? Not really.

Then again, he never thought that he would be feeling… whatever it was that he was feeling right now. All he knew was that he was struggling to take his eyes and his thoughts off her. He had hoped that seeing her in the flesh would have given some clarity to the strange thoughts that had been going through his mind during his time away. But throughout the whole day he has been distracted because his eyes had somehow been trained on how amazing her ass looked in those pants.

But then the guilt set in. He had Kirsten. Sure they hadn't left things on the greatest of terms, and they hadn't even had a proper conversation since his return to the States, but neither had they completely broken up either.

And worse still, his conscience on the matter had the voice of Mercedes. He could hear her, clear as day, spelling out her worries about Kirsten becoming a problem for them. He honestly didn't think that she would. Kirsten could be many things, but malicious certainly wasn't on that list. She had a kind of childish innocence that had drawn him in the first place. Too many people that he met through his line of work had old, tired and ruthless eyes. She had a freshness and zest about her that he'd felt was missing in his life. Perhaps he had thought she could bring some of that out in him because seriously, some days he was really starting to feel pretty old. Nothing had highlighted that more than their time spent 'together but not together' in London .

But Mercedes' words had stuck like glue and some nights had cut like a knife too. How fair was he being? He wanted to have his cake and eat it. He wanted to have his relationship _and_ his family. But the reality was that he had already subconsciously chosen one over the other. His love life had been marginalized for the sake of his family. And worse still, he wanted it that way. He had a gorgeous young woman at his beck and call and yet he actively sought out the company of someone else. On some level did that make him a cheater? Their relationship wasn't 'that' kind of relationship, and yet the way he felt for Mercedes… long as it had taken to finally make the confession to himself… it was _definitely_ more than friendship. The way that he would always happily bend over backwards for her. It was more than guilt over the lost years. And the way that he couldn't keep his eyes off her. That was just plain physical attraction. Sure she was shaped differently to how she was when they first met but now she was more mature. More womanly. And damn he wanted to get his hands all over those curves!

Knowing that in the privacy of his hotel room in London he had succumbed to fantasies of Mercedes definitely did make him feel like a cheater. Even if at this point he was just an emotional one.

"Are you okay?" Holly was looking at him intently.

"Sure. I think all the food is making me tired. I'm probably jet-lagged too. I'm just going to lie down for a bit."

"Okay. You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine. But I think lying down for an hour will do me good."

Sam didn't sleep a wink. He lay there, staring at an irregular spot on the ceiling as various thoughts swirled their way around his head and started to take shape. Within half an hour Sam knew what he wanted. It wasn't as though he hadn't known for a while now. It's just he'd never felt it with such resolution and conviction before.

He knew beyond all doubt _who _he wanted.

And because he now knew what he wanted, he now knew what he had to do. It was what he probably should have done a while ago if he had thought about it. Maybe subconsciously he had been waiting to see if it was more than his imagination. More than just a fleeting emotion…

But the way that he felt whenever he looked at her yesterday left no doubts at all. The way that he had felt when she spoke at Thanksgiving and the way that he had nearly lost himself when he spoke had thrown him for six. This was more than a crush. More than just something that was a good idea because of who she was to him. It was unfinished business from that night seven years before. There had been chemistry. There had been _something. _That's why during those years she had periodically crossed his mind. Sure he'd had his playboy moments, but there was something about the level of connection he had felt that night which had stayed with him and refused to go away or be brushed aside. He wasn't a man for one night stands. And when he hadn't been able to find her he had been truly upset about it for a long while. She was young and vulnerable and yet something about her had tugged at him.

And now she was seeing somebody else. He couldn't even be mad about that. He was already seeing someone when he reconnected with her, and his intentions at the time were purely about their daughter and nothing else. But then, the more that he spent time with her, the more that he realized how good she made him feel. He loved spending time with Chey, but increasingly, he also loved chilling out with Mercedes afterwards. And the more he learned about what she had been going through in her life, the more he respected her.

And the way the she would sometimes look up at him with those huge chocolately eyes of hers... He could see her inner struggle. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was okay.

She did something to him. Mercedes Jones definitely did something to him. With the exception of their first, and well, to be honest also their second meeting after he had found her, she had made him want to be a better person. Everything he had done from that point had been to prove that he wasn't a monster and he just wanted to be a part of their lives. Everything he had done was to make things better for them. Everything he had done was to show them that he wasn't a bad person. That he wasn't the type to just 'love and leave' without taking any responsibility for his actions. For some reason, right from the start he had felt that he needed to prove himself to her. He had needed to show her that he was the best that he could be. And with the way that things had gone so far between them, it was clearly working well. Too well. He definitely hadn't set out to start catching feelings, but somehow they had caught him. It's like something subconsciously told him that she was special. It had that night and it was doing it again.

Sam wasn't a cheater. It's not that he was going to drop his girlfriend just because someone else was getting under his skin. But the fact that he had been so riled about Mercedes' reaction to Kirsten should have alerted him. Every time Mercedes had mentioned his girlfriend he had felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. It made no sense. Why should he feel like he was cheating on Mercedes with her? But he was with Kirsten first. He and Kirsten had been perfectly happy until Mercedes came into their world. Weren't they? Sure they didn't have what Stevie and Holly had, but they were okay. Not everyone got to experience that all-consuming earth shattering love that his brother had found, but hell, it was the longest relationship he'd had in a long time. The chances were that it that was probably more because he was happy to keep it on a 'back burner', avoiding anything serious like moving in together, which he was convinced was only a status move for her anyway. Kirsten was a nice girl, but after a couple of months he'd come to realize that's all she was. Mercedes' teasing about her age had struck a nerve because unbeknown to her, he was actually starting to feel the age gap himself. At first they had all about the good life, hanging out at his clubs and being out and about with the 'socialite' crowd, but that has soon gotten old with him. He wasn't the same kind of guy he had been before. He'd lived that kind of life before and could now clearly see the shallowness and the emptiness of it. Why was it that he couldn't he have what Stevie and Holly had? By his age Stevie was already long married and the two of them still looked at each other the way they did when they first became an item.

But what had got him the most was the head touch. It had already been playing on his mind from the moment it had happened and throughout the entire time he was in London, but seeing Holly and Stevie in the same pose… He knew that had come from a place he usually didn't go and may never yet have been before. For some reason, that moment with Mercedes had felt even more intimate than when they had ravished each other that first night. So much was said without words. Somehow his eyes were opened and he saw for the first time what was right under his nose. At first it had confused him, then it had scared the hell out of him.

And now…

Whenever Sam Evans put his sights on something that he wanted, he would go all out to get it. Somehow he knew that his future happiness was tied up with these two girls who had blasted their way into his life. And he needed to make sure that they were going to be there to stay.

He reached over to the dresser for his phone. She answered within one ring. "I thought it might be you."

Sam nodded before realizing that she wouldn't hear a nod down the phone. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

Involuntarily Sam smiled. "It was good. Actually, it was better than good. It was perfect."

It was his turn to listen to a slight pause down the phone before realizing how his words could have been taken. "When I say that it was perfect I wasn't implying that because you weren't there..."

She sighed. "I know. But it was more about who actually was there wasn't it."

"You were invited Kirsten."

"I know. And I told you it wasn't quite my thing."

"I know that too. I saw the pictures on E! and MSN this morning."

"It wasn't how-"

"I know. And I'm not even mad. If I was your age and didn't have a close family I would be wanting to partying the holiday away too. I'd assumed you'd be going to your sister but the party makes far more sense."

"It was a last minute invite-"

"You don't need to explain to me. I'm not upset. But..."

"Yeah… I know. We need to talk."

"Can I come over?"

"Sure."

"I'll be there in an hour."

Sam felt so much better after the call. Like a large heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was free.

The problem was, Mercedes now wasn't. This guy taking her to the concert had to be the same one sending the texts that made her smile. As far as Sam was concerned, he was nothing but a minor hiccup. Mercedes was supposed to be with him, and deep down he was sure she had to feel that too.

And he wasn't going to rest until he could move from position of _sometimes daddy _to _all-the-time daddy…_

* * *

**_Whoopee! Sam's finally getting rid of the excess baggage. But will Kirsten ultimately be the one to out them or will it end up being someone else? And will Sam be able to hold it together when he has to stand by and watch Mercedes leave to go on a date with another man?_**

**_So much for Thanksgiving weekend being just one chapter. I had to stop it at 10k because there's more to come for the rest of the weekend…_**


	21. Date Night

**_The opening scene is a flashback to the evening before..._**

* * *

_"What happened to us Sam?"_

_He shrugged. "We changed. I changed."_

_"Why?"_

_"I don't know." He watched as Kirsten stepped out of the bedroom in one of the littlest black dresses he had ever seen. "This one?"_

_He cringed slightly. "It's lovely but… I mean it really does put the 'little' into little black dress."_

_"That's sort of the point Sam."_

_"I know but…"_

_"Sam, you used to love me in outfits like this. Now you sound like my dad!" _

_It dawned on him that she did actually have a point. "You might be right. I feel like I suddenly had to grow up."_

_"I think it's because you've suddenly taken your role as a dad seriously. It sucks for me but I can't really knock it."_

_He watched her in silence as she pulled out a small mirror and applied more lipstick._

_"Why aren't you more mad about this Kirsten?"_

_It was her turn to shrug. "I don't know. I think I saw it coming. The way you looked when you talked about your kid and the way you went running when she was sick. I would always be competing with that. Plus, I'm still young and my life is ahead of me. I really can't see children in my life at the moment, even if it's someone else's. When we started out we were just two people having fun and I thought that it would be that way for a long time, even if we moved in together. I'm not ready for kids or marriage or any of that stuff and the more you went on about serious heavy stuff the more it pushed me away. I had such an amazing time in London and it dawned on me after a couple of days that the amazing time was about being free and being me, not about being with someone."_

_She handed him her necklace and turned, lifting her hair so that he could do the clasp for her. "I'm sorry things didn't work out for us." Sam said sadly._

_"Yeah. So am I. Now you see why I couldn't come to Thanksgiving at your house. It would have been weird to be with your family when it's not the kind of life that I'm ready for."_

_"You made the right decision. Although we had an awesome time without you. And you missed meeting my kid."_

_"I think you had a better time without me and I told you before, I may have acted all bratty when you first mentioned it but I would never come between you and your family. Besides, I had an awesome time at the celebrity Thanksgiving party in Times Square so I guess we each did the thing that was right for us."_

_"We did."_

_"I am sorry that we ended though."_

_"So am I. But I'm not mad. It's ended scarily how easily it's happened. Before you know it you'll be dating someone much closer to your age and I'll be forgotten."_

_"I won't forget you Sam. You're a good guy. A great guy actually. Our paths just crossed at the wrong time. Anyway, you'll move on too. There's loads of women who would fall over themselves to have you." She stared hard at the unhappy expression that crossed his face. Clearly she had been missing something. __"But never the ones you want, huh" she added softly._

_"Never the ones you want" he muttered sadly._

* * *

Chey had wanted a picnic, so a picnic it was going to be. Sam had arrived and immediately joined Mercedes in the kitchen making sandwiches and creased his brow in confusion. "A picnic?"

"Yep. That's what your child wants. Obviously the weather outside isn't exactly ideal but she's currently laying out a blanket in the playroom and getting things 'set up' as we speak."

Sam reached over and stole a slice of wafer thin ham and ignored the scowl he received in response. "Will there be peach cobbler?"

"There will be no peach cobbler, but I'm in the mood to have my sandwich toasted so you're welcome to have a hot fillings seeing as you've been driving out in the cold."

He looked at what she was making. "I'll have what you're having."

"Cheese, ham and tomato with fresh basil?"

"Perfect. Can I give you a hand with anything?"

"Nope. It's all under control. You can go and say hi to Chey. I don't think she heard you come in because she would have been down like a shot!"

"That's true. I'll go up. I just want to grab a coffee first. Plus it gives us the chance to actually talk for a minute."

"Oh…" He noticed her visibly stiffen. It was almost as if she had only just remembered that she had been trying to avoid him. He said nothing but just watched her out of the corner of his eye for a moment as he went over to the coffee machine. She looked pretty in her simplicity. A pair of well-fitting jeans and a sweater. Nothing major but it looked good on her. He hoped that those fugly sweats she used to wear had died a painful death. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail which made her look youthful and carefree and he liked that it exposed her neck. All he wanted to do was bury his face in it and nibble at her slightly exposed collarbone.

"I just wanted to thank you again. For coming to Thanksgiving. It really meant a lot."

"It meant a lot to be invited."

"You do realize that you're on a perfect invite for the rest of your lives right?" He shot her one of his lopsided grins.

"Sam I-"

"I'm serious. If Stevie hadn't invited you then I would have anyway. I wasn't joking when I gave thanks for having you in our lives."

Mercedes bit her lip and looked slightly uncomfortable. She went to the fridge and grabbed some yoghurt and vegetables as well as the milk which she handed to Sam without him even asking.

"And you looked really beautiful too. That cashmere looked nearly as soft as your skin."

She audibly swallowed before reaching back into the fridge. "I have syrups too. Flavored ones. For your coffee. If you want syrup in your coffee…"

He shook his head. "I don't want syrup."

"Okay well…"

"I missed you, you know."

"Huh?"

"I said I missed you. I missed our random kitchen chats. I thought maybe I'd upset you and that's why you didn't want to talk to me."

"NO! I mean… no. You didn't upset me. And I wasn't avoiding you."

"Really? Because you always seemed to disappear whenever I was on Skype. You only stayed to talk once and that was because Chey had to leave."

"I was just busy, that's all."

"Too busy for me?"

"No. Skype is your time with Chey. I know your time is precious and sometimes you even stayed up so you could read her a bedtime story. I didn't want you to waste any of that time on me."

"Time with you is never wasted time Mercedes. It's precious to me too." He knew he was laying it on a bit thick but he didn't give a damn.

"You can't say stuff like that Sam."

"Stuff like what?"

"Stuff that… that borders on inappropriate!"

"Did I say something inappropriate?"

"No but- but it can be taken the wrong way. You can't go calling time with another woman precious when you already have a girlfriend. It can make for problems and for us and with our situation those problems will be blown out of all proportion."

"Would it be better if I say that without having a girlfriend?"

"Well…"

"Because right now, technically I _am_ single."

Mercedes' jaw dropped and Sam enjoyed seeing the shock on her face. She shook her head slowly as she replied "No. That can't be true. I know she was invited to Thanksgiving. And Stacey and I were talking about her just yesterday!"

"Well Stacey's a little out-of-date with this one. Would you really take her word over mine when it comes to my relationship?"

She just continued to stare at him, wide eyed. "Wow! Is that why you were gone when I came to pick up Chey? What happened? I mean- I'm not trying to pry- It's none of my business and you don't have to talk about it. I meant to say that I'm sorry. You were together for nearly a year. It has to hurt."

"Surprisingly less than you think!"

"But- not being funny but it isn't anything to do with us and Chey is it? Or was it because of those pictures on E!? Stacey said she thought she was with her family not partying it up in New York."

"That part was my fault. I had assumed she'd turned down one family event for another and it's what I told Stacey. But you were right, she's young and for her partying is clearly more fun and important than family stuff."

"But I am sorry Sam."

"Why? We aren't. It's been over for a while. We just needed to make it official."

"And she's not going to- you know…"

Sam shook his head. "She's not bothered. We've already had a chat about the stuff that you were worried about and I know where you're coming from but I really think it'll be fine."

"That's a relief."

"It is. It also means that I can pay whatever compliments I like to you without you worrying that I have a girlfriend."

"That's true. But…"

"But what Mercedes?" He raised an eyebrow. He knew he was pushing her but he wanted her to be the one to actually say it.

"But I'm sort of seeing someone."

Sam pretended to be shocked. "Really?"

"I mean we've only been out a couple of times..."

He grinned. "Does this mean that you're over the fitness instructor? Because he was gay as hell. I don't think I've ever been so efficiently undressed by someone's eyes than I was that morning."

She returned the smile. "No, it's not Blaine. Although I do maintain that without the hair gel he is attractive."

"So my assumtion that tonight's little musical outing was a some sort of girlie night is wrong and it's actually a date that you're going on?"

She avoided his eyes. "Sort of."

"It's okay Mercedes. I'm not going to bail on you tonight. It's your life." _And I plan to shut this thing down before there is any chance of it becoming serious! _He calmly put the finishing touches to his coffee and carefully ensured that he kept a straight face. "So is this guy going to pick you up from here tonight?"

"Yes he is. So you can get to check him out and make sure he's not some crazy murderer or something."

Sam hoped his smile didn't look as fake as it felt. "I'm sure whoever it is will be a nice guy. He makes you happy and that's all I want to see."

"That's good. I was worried it would be awkward after-" She shook her head.

"Awkward after what Mercedes?"

"Nothing. I was just reading too much in my head."

"Mommy! Can I- YAY! DADDY!" Chey burst through the door and broke out into the world's largest smile when she saw Sam. "We're going to have a picnic daddy!"

"I know! I'm coming upstairs so you can show me where it's going to be!" Winking at Mercedes he grabbed his coffee and her hand and allowed her to lead him away.

Sam had to admit that he had fun with the picnic. Not only were Mercedes' toasted sandwiches delicious, the atmosphere was relaxed and fun too. Chey had laid out a blanket and pinched several pillows and cushions to make it comfortable. They each had their designated place to sit including Teddy who was guest of honor. He even had his own plate and plastic beaker.

As well as the sandwiches, Mercedes had done carrot and cucumber sticks with a yoghurt dip which Chey managed to drip all over the blanket as well as cherry tomatoes which Sam may or may not also have squirted onto the blanket when he attempted to bite into one.

The afternoon was one of the best Sam had ever had. They spent most of it in the playroom, crawling around on their hands and knees, actually _playing. _They 'built' a fairytale castle by draping the blanket over the back of several chairs and the tentlike creation was center stage for many dramatic re-enactments of heroic events. Sam quickly noticed a serious lack of male toys and action figures to play both heroes and villans. Teddy had to step up to the plate on more than one occasion and he swore he would fix the gender discrimination sometime soon before laughing at the way Mercedes had rolled her eyes at him.

Yet again he was seeing another side of her. She and her daughter shared identical expressions of delight as they played together, something they clearly did frequently judging by familiarity of how they each knew how the other played. The crawled along the floor, climbed over each other, mussed up each other's hair and generally let go in a way that made him feel like a spectator until Chey would drag him in right along with them. At one point he had been instructed to 'sleep' on the floor next to Mercedes who was also 'asleep' waiting to be rescued. He had peeked one eye open and noticed her staring at him. He'd grinned and winked and she'd smiled and shut her eyes again. He liked to think that was the moment he'd caught her checking him out. Lord knows he'd done nothing but ogle her ass while she crawled around. And even though she was sporting a set of feshly manicured bright red nails she didn't whine or use it as an excuse to not get 100% involved with everything like most of the women he knew would have done. Yet another thing that was simply great about her. The list was getting longer by the day.

Far too soon Mercedes excused herself to get a meal together for him and Chey. She was having dinner out so would only sit with them with a small portion of food for the company. Each time there was reference to her impending date, he felt his good mood fading. He'd never felt this jealous and protective over someone before. It was an education and he wasn't sure if he liked the feeling or not.

Sam was on full alert as soon as he saw the lights of a car pulling into the driveway. Mercedes had been upstairs for the last hour getting ready and Chey was curled comfortably on the couch, semi buried under a small pile of cushions, engrossed in her movie and her snack. By the time the knock came on the door he was already up.

"I'll get it!" He heard Mercedes shout from upstairs but he wasn't going to let that happen.

'Don't worry. I'm already there!" He swung open the door to see a tall well groomed black man with a neatly trimmed goatee beard and forced a smile. "Hi. You must be here for Mercedes."

"That's right."

The two men stood on the doorstep, staring at each other for a few seconds before Sam remembered that he should invite him in. Stepping back he allowed him into the hallway but no further. The other man offered his hand and much as it irked him, he knew that he had to accept it. "I'm Moe. Moe Adams. You seem familiar. Have we met before?" He was looking at Sam with that expression that he often got where people could tell that they had seen his face before but they had no idea where they had seen it.

"Nope. I'd remember if I'd met you before." He paused dramatically. "Mercedes will be down in a moment." Sam just continued to stand there, knowing that his presence would be annoying and irritating. He didn't offer for Moe to have a drink or to sit down. He just stood there like a guard and prayed that Chey would stay put in front of the TV like he'd told her. Eyeing Moe carefully he couldn't help but notice that he was exceptionally well presented. As far as looks went, from a business point of view he cut a good first impression which was in his favor and it annoyed the hell out of Sam that he couldn't fault that. Although the aftershave was probably a little overpowering which was the first mark against him. Sam also mentally noted that there were no flowers or other 'date' gestures with him and that was the second mark.

He knew that he had to at least give the appearance of making an effort. "So what do you do Moe?"

"I run my own business."

"That's good. What's your line of business?"

"Acquisitions."

"Oh so you're like a personal shopper!"

Moe shot him a look that said he wasn't sure if Sam was serious not. Sam usually liked to play the 'dumb blond' when casting shade. It gave him the satisfaction of being able to say things seemingly in innocence.

"I'm more of an entrepreneur involved in the acquisition, negotiation and trading of assets."

Another strike. Sam hated it when people used pointless jargon to explain what they do. In his experience it was usually because they were being shady or evasive for one reason or another and he made a mental note to do a little more digging.

"What about you?" To give him credit, Moe was trying with the conversation too.

Sam gave his patented dizzy 'aw shucks' shrug. "I just work for the family business."

"What do you all do?"

"Hospitality."

Moe nodded his head slowly. "There's nothing wrong with that!"

It was a struggle for Sam to fight the smile that rose from the slight condescension in Moe's tone. _If only he knew..._

That was the moment Mercedes appeared at the top of the stairs and all conversation ended. It had to because both men were rendered slack jawed. Gone was the girl in the jeans and a pony who had chilled and crawled around the floor with Sam not long before. She had been replaced by a woman.

Mercedes had looked good at Thanksgiving but that was nothing compared to now. Now what he was staring a could only be described as 'sin in a red dress'. Suddenly Sam realized that up until that point, he had never seen Mercedes in a dress with the exception of that very first night. With her curves she was everything a woman should be, and then she'd taken it up a notch. Unfortunately for him, the dress was a similar shade of red to the one she had been wearing the night they first met. But this time, instead of being clingy, the fabric was floaty. It was a wraparound style although it wasn't actually a wrap dress. The top section was simple, three quarter length sleeves appropriate for the season and a simple 'v' neckline which wasn't particularly low but still emphasized how well-endowed she was. It cinched underneath her bust line, emphasizing the smallest part of her waist before skimming down over her belly into a full knee length skirt with a slight ruffle on the hem which kicked out beautifully as she made her way down the stairs. The dress worked every single one of her curves leaving her looking like temptation personified.

As she descended the stairs Sam felt his fists clenching. He wasn't sure he wanted her to be leaving the house looking like that with another man! Her approach revealed that the outfit was finished with a matching pair of killer slightly platformed heels, and in her hand with the delicately painted red nails was a matching clutch which likely came as part of a set with the heels. Even her lips were juicily glossy with a hint of red while her eyes were smokey.

Even her hair was down. Another luxury Sam had no yet had the opportunity to see. It was parted simply at one side and cascaded in freshly curled waves over her shoulders, the brown highlights adding warmth and depth.

It wasn't fair. Sam was struggling not to get hard at the sight of her yet all this dress up was for the enjoyment of another man...

She smiled brightly at the two of them, seemingly relieved that they appeared to be getting along. As she approached, Moe grabbed her hand and kissed it. "You look beautiful as always" he gushed. Mercedes beamed at his before turning slightly to Sam, as if seeking his approval too.

He was dry mouthed and couldn't think of the word. It was on the tip of his tongue and yet- "Flawless." He breathed a sigh of relief for managing to get his brain and mouth back together just in time. "You look absolutely flawless Mercedes." In response he now received the full beam smile and it went fractionally towards making him feel slightly better. But only fractionally. And all effect of was undone when she turned back to his nemesis.

"I hope we're not doing much walking Moe because I think these Louboutin's were designed to be shown off while sitting not walking!''

"Hell, I'll just throw you over my shoulder and carry you everywhere!"

Sam didn't think he had ever felt a stronger desire to rip off another man's head than he did at that very moment. The thought of Moe going all caveman with Mercedes made him feel sick to the stomach.

"Well I'll just kiss my baby goodnight and I'm ready to go!"

Two sets of eyes lustfully followed the ass swathed in red fabric as she walked from them into the lounge and Sam's jaw clenched as he had to endure the sound of Moe letting out a low whistle.

"Now that is what I call a _real_ woman!"

Sam said nothing in reply and Moe failed to take his terse silence as a hint. "Seriously, I don't know how you could let _that_ go!" As well as his fists Sam could feel his jaw, feet and even ass cheeks clenching but Moe still wasn't done as he lightly fingered his goatee. "I guess I have to thank you because your loss is definitely my gain!"

Sam turned to him but Mercedes came out milliseconds before he unleashed a right hook which would have caught Moe by surprise and sent him crashing into the wall.

"Ready baby?" Moe put an arm around her waist while she shot Sam a concerned look, clearly noticing something in his expression.

Sam counted to three before forcing a smile. "Enjoy the music you guys!"

Her eyes were still wide with concern. "Are you sure you're okay with Chey?"

"I'm fine. I promise. And if all hell breaks loose I have your mom on speed dial!"

She didn't look reassured by his failed attempt at humor. "Don't let her stay up past her bedtime. She'll try hard but you mustn't give in!"

"I told you, we'll be fine. You go and enjoy your night out. You deserve it."

"Oh we definitly will" smiled Moe.

"Good. Because I trust you."

The words sounded like a vote of confidence but both men knew beyond a doubt that it was nothing but a thinly veiled threat.

"Don't wait up!" Mercedes yelled as she was ushered out the door.

_Like hell he was going to sleep when he knew she was out with some random sleazeball looking like that!_

He watched the car disappear before returning to the lounge. Chey moved from her place to sit on his lap and hold on to him tightly. "Are you okay Annie?"

She nodded, frowning slightly at his smirk. There was no way he would be able to explain to her why he now had 'Smooth Criminal' playing in his head.

"Mommy say I have to be a good girl for you."

He nodded seriously. "And will you?"

"No!" She shook her head and giggled loudly.

Sam put on a sad expression. "Really? That's a shame. Because I was going to make pancakes tomorrow morning, but only little girls who have been good can eat them."

The eyes widened. "I'll be good!"

"Are you sure?"

Chey nodded so hard that her curls bounced.

"I'm glad because mommy told me a little secret. Do you want to know what it is?" She nodded again and Sam lowered his voice to a whisper. "Tonight Teddy is a spy. When mommy gets home she's going to ask him three questions and she gave him some special truth medicine so he can't lie. Do you want to know what the questions are so that you're prepared?"

She looked at him wide eyed and nodded furiously. "Cool. The first question is 'did Chey play Mario Karts nicely?'"

"We're playing Mario Karts? Yay!" She literally squirmed on his lap with excitement.

"The second question is 'did Chey brush her teeth properly'?" She frowned slightly at that one but accepted it. "And the last one is 'did Chey go to bed on time'? Do you think we can make Teddy's answer to all those questions 'yes'?"

She shot a mistrustful stare at her bear where she had left him on a cushion but nodded reluctantly.

"Cool! Then let's set up the game!"

Sam felt proud of the fact that everything ran smoothly. They played for precisely and hour before it was time to pack up. Chey moaned which was to be expected but worked with him to put the game away. Mercedes had already bathed and put he in pajamas so all that was needed was for her to brush her teeth and use the bathroom. He and Teddy both inspected and were happy that she had brushed properly before tucking in for story time. She had a new book about wizards that he hadn't seen before. A couple of chapters in and she was yawning.

"Okay Annie, its sleep time."

She pouted but snuggled deeper into her bed before reaching out for her goodnight kiss.

"Sweet dreams baby."

He loved the feel of her arms around his neck. "Goodnight daddy. I love you."

Sam's breath caught in his chest and his eyes stung at the sound of those words. "I love you too Annie."

And he did. He loved he so much it physically hurt to leave the room and let her sleep. As he walked back into the lounge he heard his phone buzz where he had left it on the couch. It was a message from Mercedes.

**_Did Chey get off to bed okay?_**

Sam smiled. He knew that she would still be thinking of them.

**_Yep. She's asleep and I'm back downstairs._**

It only took seconds for her to reply.

**_I'm so proud of you!_**

He was pretty proud of himself too.

**_Are you having a good time?_**

Again the reply was instant.

**_Amazing. Will tell you all about it tomorrow._**

Sam started to wonder how Moe was feeling about her texting so much on her date when he received another one from her.

**_I hid cookies for you in the bread pot in the kitchen as a post Chey treat. Help yourself to wine and there's cheeses in the fridge._**

See! This was precisely why he was falling for this woman!

**_Thanx You're awesome!_**

He was already on his way to the kitchen when he received the response.

**_I know! LOL! ;D_**

He could almost see the head flick and hair toss that would have accompanied it.

**_White chocolate cookies! You definitely know the way to a man's heart!_**

It thrilled him to be exchanging flirty texts with her while she was on a date with another man so he was sad to receive her final message:

**_Moe is annoyed by my texting so better go!_**

Settling back down with his wine and cookies he decided to Google this Moe Adams. A quick scroll through images revealed that his full name was Azimo Adams but even his LinkedIn page was very vague about what his business actually was.

Deciding it was always best to know your enemy, he put in a quick call to Matt Rutherford. A little information couldn't hurt.

His next call was to someone who he had guiltily failed to get in touch with since his arrival. It was answered within two rings. "Shit Sam, if she's not in bed yet you're gonna be in trouble!"

He smiled at the sound of his best friend's voice. That was the best thing about them. However long they've been apart they always start as though they were still in the middle of their last conversation.

"Actually, I'm the Captain America of dads and Chey's been living the literal American _dream state_ for a while now."

"Well I'm impressed. She'll make a man of you yet! _-No it's Sam. _Sorry that was Quinn asking." He laughed as he listened to Puck reassure her that everything was fine and it wasn't a panicked 'daddy' call. Sure he could call Dionne but hell would freeze over before he gave her any opportunity to slip back into her bad books.

"So, stranger, howz life in London?"

They touched base briefly in the way men did over the phone. Puck still sounded disbelieving. 'I still can't believe you're home with a child while Mercedes is out on a date. I never expected you to be so domestic. I'm amazed you haven't called Kirsten round for a booty call."

"We aren't together anymore!"

"About fucking time!"

"Puck!"

"No Sam. You know how I've felt about her all along. She's nice and all, but you guys were on different pages. Hell, I'm not sure you were both even in the same book!"

"Yeah well..."

"And now you're stuck home with the baby while Mercedes is out on a date. Life really sucks being you."

"Actually, I've had fun tonight. And how come I'm the only one who didn't know this was a date?"

"Did you ask?"

"No. But-"

"But when you assume you mostly get it wrong."

Sam scowled because he knew that his friend was right. "So have you met this guy yet? What's he like?"

"Smart. Slightly smarmy because he's cool and he knows it. Anyway, I have to go because unlike you, it seems like the Puckmaster is gonna _get some_ tonight if you know what I mean."

Sam didn't need to know that. "Will we get to hang before I go back?"

"When do you leave?"

"Tuesday."

"Unique's doing karaoke on Monday night and Quinn's been pushing to go. Shall we make it like old times?"

"Count me in!"

* * *

It was nearly one in the morning when headlights lit up his bedroom window. He'd been sat on the bed working on his laptop because he knew there was no hope of sleep while Mercedes was still out on her date. He had never been so glad that the guest room overlooked the front of the house because he had a perfect view of the drive and he front door.

There was a significant pause between the car stopping and the passenger door opening. He knew the chances of there being goodbye kisses happening were high but it didn't mean he had to like the idea or think about it. To avoid being seen he carefully stood to the side of the window and watched as she finally left the car and made her way inside. The bastard didn't even walk her to the door although he did wait for her to get inside before pulling off.

At one point, Mercedes had looked up directly at his window as she opened the door. Was she wondering if he was still up? There was no way she could have seen him from his hiding place but it had still felt as though she was staring right at him. Once inside he heard her humming a song he didn't recognize as she made her way up the stairs, pausing briefly to check in on Chey before disappearing into her room.

_She was fucking humming! _That meant that she had to have had a good time on her date. Shit! He really hoped that Matt could come up with something he could use, because at this rate, this Moe guy sounded fucking perfect and if he was going to have any chance of winning her he was going to have to use his home advantage and step things up a notch.

It felt as if he had barely fallen asleep before the sound of sniffles filled his ears. Opening his eyes he was me with the pitiful tear stained moonlit face of his daughter. _How long had she been standing there?_ Immediately on the alert he leaped up into a sitting position.

"There's wizards in my room and Teddy got scared. Can we sleep with you? "

It took all of Sam' energy not to smile at the fact that poor Teddy got named and shamed as the fearful one. But on the other hand they did have a serious problem. Not only were there wizards in Chey's room, she was also wanting to sleep in his bed which... would be weird.

Squinting at the clock he noticed it was only 3:37 "I'm sure the wizards flew out of your room when you opened the door. Let's go check together and put you back to bed." He held out his hand but she shook her head with a distressed sob which started to get louder. "I want... _hic _to say with you."

Trying to reason with a distressed child as to why they couldn't sleep in his bed was something that was going to have to wait for another time. There was only one solution and it probably wasn't going to go down well after a late night.

"Come on, let's go get mommy and you can sleep with her." This time Chey willingly took his hand.

Mercedes was roused from her sleep by the sound of soft tapping on her door. She blearily looked at her clock to see that the time and turning towards the door she noticed the faint glowing outline of the hallway light being on.

"Mommy?" The handle turned and a sheepish looking Sam entered with a tearful Chey clutching onto his hand.

She immediately sat up with a frown. "What's wrong baby?"

Chey sniffled and Sam answered. "Somebody was having a bad dream. She wanted to come and sleep in my bed but, well, i guess that would be weird so I brought her to you."

Mercedes smiled at how adorable the two of them looked, hair all pillow-tousled and eyes puffy with sleep. "Come here babe!" She held her arms open and Sam walked the little girl over to her mom. "Thanks Sam" she mouthed. He watched as she cuddled up to her mom and snuggled her face into her ample bosom all the while keeping a tight grip on his hand.

"Okay baby, that's enough. Let go of daddy's hand and snuggle down coz mommy needs her sleep. And _no kicking!_"

Already knowing the drill the little girl smiled as she crawled over her mother and settled into the space next to her.

"Nite Annie!" Sam turned to go as he saw her pout.

"Daddy?"

Somehow he knew he was going to regret this but he turned back to her. He was right. She was staring up at him with eyes even larger than Puss in Boots. "Daddy where are you going?"

"Back to bed." He stifled a yawn.

"Sleep here too!"

He did a double take and avoided Mercedes' stare. "I have my own bed honey."

"Pleeeaase?"

Sam shook his head. It would be innapropriate.

"But i'm scared." There it was. The big eyes now filling with tears, complete with the bottom lip tremble. How the hell was he supposed to compete with that? Besides, Mercedes had a queen bed so there was plenty of space. He looked over at her and saw that she was practically asleep already. "S'fine Sam..." She murmured. "Just shut the door first."

He did so before climbing uncertainly into the bed. Surely there were laws against this sort of thing? And then he remembered. He was her dad. Of course it was fine. It was just that he'd never shared a bed with a child before. Cheyenne stayed cuddled up to her mom as Sam tried to get comfortable without moving too much. He finally started to settle when he heard Mercedes' sleep filled voice. "You didn't turn off the hallway light."

Shit! He hadn't. And now that he looked he could see the glow around the edge of the door. He quickly got up and did it before returning to the bed, struggling to get comfortable all over again.

And then he remembered that he had meant to Google pancake recipies for breakfast...


	22. Pancakes and Proud Mary

Sam woke up in a room that he didn't recognize and the scent of Mercedes filled his nostrils. It took him a few seconds to register where he was and what had happened. Sunlight streamed into the room from open curtains and illuminated every surface.

He was alone in the bed and everything was silent. Taking a moment he shut his eyes again and allowed himself to get lost in her unique scent. He had only had one brief glimpse of Mercedes' room when Chey had given him a brief tour when the house was first finished. Now he got to look at it properly. Her favorite color was purple. She had told him this when they were in Disney and he could see it reflected in her personal space. The room was tastefully decorated in a deep purple and cream color scheme. Similar to the chocolate and cream in the guest room it rendered it neutral but with a touch of femininity that was uniquely her. The scheme was bold but not garish and it made the room give an overall feeling of calm which undoubtedly helped her to relax when she was feeling stressed.

Right now he was feeling less than calm. The scent of Mercedes attacking his senses, combined with the fact that he was _in her bed_ had caused all his blood to flow to a certain part of his body that made him relieved that she and especially not Chey were no longer there. With a groan he forced himself to get up. Any longer and he ran the risk of getting caught rubbing one out while sniffing her satin pillow like a regular pervert! Definitely not the impression that he was aiming for if he was trying to win her affections from another man who already had a head start!

After peeking out into the hallway to ensure the coast was clear, he quickly and painfully hobbled to his bathroom to sort out his 'problem' and freshen up before heading downstairs.

'Morning girls!" He walked into the kitchen to find them both still in their pajamas. Mercedes was slicing melon and Chey was plucking grapes and putting more into her mouth than she was into the bowl. "Daddy is a sleepyhead!" she announced with a grin.

"That's right. I didn't even hear y'all get up!"

"We were quiet" announced Chey in a loud whisper.

''You got changed already?" Mercedes eyed his changed clothing with amuzement.

"Yeah well I had to take a shower so I automatically got dressed after..." Sam couldn't fight the blush as he thought back to his icy cold shower.

"There was no rush. You didn't have to shower yet if you didn't want-"

Mercedes clearly hadn't thought anything untoward until she looked at his embarrassed face and pieced together what had happened. Not only was it _morning _but he had woken up in a woman's bed… He was a man, after all. And a newly single one at that. Sam quickly looked away, all his swagger suddenly gone for a moment. Sensing she had crossed a line, Mercedes changed the subject. Turning to the counter she showed him the contents of a large bowl. "Chey thought you might want a little bit of help with the pancake batter so we decided we'd work together to give you a head start."

He shot her a grateful smile which turned into a full on cheesy grin. "That's one of the things I love about our daughter. She's so insightful and thinks ahead, first planning a trip to Animal Kingdom and now somehow knowing I was going to need a little help with breakfast which now has epic levels of expectation attached to it. I should give her a big kiss for coming up with such a great idea to let her know how thankful I am for her thoughtfulness. She didn't have to, especially when her sleep was broken in the middle of the night."

"I'm sure she was happy to help to say thanks for looking after her last night."

"I guess we both had a good night."

This time it was Mercedes' turn to look away, embarrassed. Sam didn't care though. He picked Chey up and smacked a large kiss on her dimpled cheek which made her squirm. "Can Teddy have breakfast with us?"

"Sure he can!"

"Yay!" She quickly fled the room to collect her favorite toy, leaving them alone together. Now was his chance. "So how was-"

"Cinnamon."

"Huh?"

"I was thinking we could put cinnamon and raisins in your pancakes. They need to have something special about them to make them uniquely 'daddy' pancakes. And she loves raisins."

"Then we'll do cinnamon and raisin. Although next time, I want to be around to actually see the batter being made. I have to learn properly."

Mercedes smiled as she switched on the stove and warmed the pan while helping him to add the extra ingredients to the batter. "Make sure you don't fail this time before you start think about any repeats!"

"These will be brilliant. You mark my words!" He stirred the mixture slowly. "So, I'm guessing you had a good time last night. You were humming all the way up the stairs when you came in."

She looked up at him. "You waited up? I thought all the lights were out when I came in."

He flushed slightly at being caught. "I- I heard the front door" he muttered.

"I was humming one of the new album tracks that they played last night. It's really catchy."

"So how was the date? You said you'd tell me today."

"It was fine." She started to grease the pan. "They played a two hour set and we were right at the front."

"That's not what I asked Mercedes. The date part was the food and the company. The band was just an added extra."

"Oh yeah. Well the date was great. We had a nice meal and talked for a bit."

"So what exactly does Moe do?"

"I'm not sure really. He tried to explain it once but I didn't quite get it. Something very boring to do with finance."

"You must really like him."

"He's good to me." Sam looked at her from the side of his eyes, noticing the ambiguity of her answer and rejoicing in it. He knew he needed to drop the subject so as to not raise suspicion by showing too much interest or asking too much information.

Mercedes reached into a drawer and pulled out a spoon. "You can use this for the batter. Just put spoonfuls into the pan. This pan usually lets you do three at a time." She watched as Sam carefully spooned the batter into the pan and handed him a spatula as he watched the batter settle and expand.

"What's taking Chey so long? She's missing this!"

Mercedes shrugged. "She'll be back down when she smells them. She probably got distracted and started playing with her toys. She does that sometimes. A lot goes through a child's mind between one room and another. I wouldn't worry though. You have a lot of batter to work through."

He still had another burning question though. "Why didn't you wake me up this morning?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You could have got me up at the same time as Chey. Why did you decide to leave me alone in your room?"

"It wasn't a conscious decision to leave you there specifically. It's just- I wanted some time alone with Chey. I guess I was a little upset."

"Upset?"

"Oh don't worry. I was just being stupid for a few minutes. I'm over it now. I think I just got jealous that she went to you last night after her bad dream, she didn't come straight to me like she usually does."

"I was the last person she saw. Maybe it was that. Or maybe she thought you were still out."

"It could have been a whole host of reasons Sam. I was just being stupid and I really am over it now anyway."

"You're not being stupid. You're adjusting. It's been just you for so long. I'm sorry if I seem to be encroaching on your territory."

"Don't be sorry. You did nothing wrong. Well, other than reading the wrong book at bedtime but that was my fault for not putting it away. She keeps asking for it but it gives her bad dreams. You weren't to know. But for future reference, wizards are banned from bedtime. We did a wizard sweep of her room this morning and gave it the all clear. Your idea of leaving the door open so that they could escape during the night worked."

"I'm glad to hear that."

She inspected the sizzling in the pan. "Okay you can use the spatula to turn the pancakes now and I'll get a plate for you to put them on."

After turning the third one he shot her a proud expression, showing off the golden pancakes in the pan that smelled delicious. "We make a good team, you and me."

"Yeah, I guess we do."

_And I intend to take this team and one day make it into a proper family._

_Hopefully Rutherford won't take too long to find something to report back so I can get this started!_

He'd been thinking about this last night. He was going to have to slow his roll on this one. Once Moe was out of the picture he couldn't just sweep down and snap Mercedes up like a ruthless vulture. She would dismiss him as a rebound and he might never be able to bounce back from that. He was going to have to play this carefully and put together a game plan. Unfortunately he wasn't a very patient man.

Chey arrived just as the pancakes came out of the pan. Her timing was impeccable. After Sam spooned the next three into the pan they sat down to enjoy the warm pancakes with fresh fruit and yoghurt with honey stirred into it and Sam enjoyed every mouthful, nearly burning the second batch of pancakes in his distraction.

* * *

"So what are we going to do today?" Chey was upstairs getting dressed and they were chatting and laughing at him having told her that Teddy was a spy. Sam was starting to wonder when exactly it was that he started to enjoy drying dishes. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was time spent with Mercedes…

"I don't mind. What do you feel like doing?"

Mercedes shrugged. "I don't mind either. I know you said you need to go back to your apartment today so we won't hold you back for long."

"Yeah well… Why don't you come with me!"

"Come with you?"

"Yeah. You guys haven't been to my place yet. I'm sure Chey wants to see where I live. We can have some lunch and explore!"

"As long as it's okay with you…"

"Of course it is! You go get ready and I'll finish up here."

* * *

Mercedes followed Sam into the large apartment building and they smiled at the concierge before heading towards the lift bank. Sam paused abruptly and turned back towards the concierge. "Max, let me introduce you. This is Mercedes and my daughter Chey. Guys, this is Max and he's worked here since forever."

"Good to meet you guys." Max was an ageless black man in the same smart suit as the doorman who had let them in. He cast them an engaging smile that Chey immediately responded to as he waved his fingers at her. "Hey little one, I have a granddaughter that must be about the same age as you. She's six."

"I'm six too!" Chey said proudly with a huge smile.

"I knew it!" he replied with a wink.

Sam chuckled at their exchange. "Max, Mercedes and Chey are to have automatic access to my apartment at all times. No need to ring ahead. I know you'll remember but please can you make sure a note is made in case you're not here."

"Of course Mr Evans."

"Just call me Sam."

"I will Mr Evans." Both men were grinning. Obviously this was a running joke between them because neither of them were being serious. Mercedes could tell that Max was old school and probably never called any of the residents by their first name.

Sam led them back to the elevator which had now had already arrived and opened its doors while they were speaking to Max. Once inside, she noticed that there were no buttons, just a touch screen keypad. Sam entered a code and the doors immediately closed.

"This is very swish."

"Yeah. I guess it is. In the corner is an iris scanner for the nights that you're too drunk to coordinate your fingers to enter the code. There's even a card that you can touch to the pad which will also let you in too." He rummaged through his wallet and pulled out what looked like a plain black credit card with an embedded chip. "I never use this so you can have it."

Mercedes took the card, stunned. "You're letting me have this? Just like that?"

"Sure. Why not. You'll still have to knock on my front door when you get there but at least you won't have to deal with anyone on your way up or have to keep explaining who you are."

She nodded, stunned that he would just give her this without a second thought. Sure he had a remote to her garage but that was all. "But Sam, you introduced us and… you told him that Chey was your daughter."

"That's because she is."

"I know. But someone might-"

"It's going to come out at some point anyway. Max would never say anything. He knows his job depends on it and he probably knows enough dirt on the residents of this building to keep the internet buzzing for months. But we have to face the fact that the more people who know by the time the news breaks, the better it will be for us. The more we can manage from our side and on our own terms the better."

Mercedes sighed. She knew that his reasoning was correct but it still felt weird. And the strangest part had not been the fact that he had introduced Chey as his daughter, but the fact that he had looked so proud as he had done it. There wasn't a hint in Sam that he was in any way ashamed of them and it made her heart rest a little easier. It leaped out of her chest again when the elevator finally opened though. They were met with a short corridor and an ornate front door. "You'll have to excuse the front door. It was here before I moved in and I never bothered to change it. The previous occupants clearly decided that because it's the penthouse apartment they wanted a grand looking entrance. It's not really me though."

She laughed softly. "No. It's definitely not you."

To her surprise she watched him pull out a regular looking bunch of keys to let himself in. "I was expecting something more high-tech" she said as he undid two locks and finally pushed the door open.

"They are hi-tech. They're designed to look and operate like normal keys but with inbuilt chips that respond to sensors in the door. If anyone was to put anything other than one of these into the keyhole to pick the lock, including a normal key, it will trigger a deadlock on the door as well as a silent alarm system which instantly calls the concierge, security and NYPD. The door will not open unless its reset, the elevator will not open on this floor leaving the person trapped here in this small entrance until the police arrive."

"Sounds good. But what happens if you forget your keys?"

"I'll have to prove to security who I am and authorize the bypass. What I can't do is try to break into my own apartment because that would cause a whole world of trouble."

"Wow!" Mercedes barely heard the rest of what he said. She was too busy staring at the huge space around her. The apartment was huge and spacious. The first thing she noticed was how devoid it was of color. All walls were white and the furniture was mostly white or pine. Definitely not the kind of home designed to house a child. Everything was minimalist. It was just like the kind of place her mom had expected Sam to buy for her. But it was also precisely the type of place that Mercedes hated. It was functional but had no soul. There was nothing warm or welcoming about it and it definitely had no personality. From the corner of her eye she could feel Sam staring at her.

"What are you thinking about Mercedes?"

"I was just thinking about what this place says about you."

"And what does it say about me?"

"I don't know. I can't tell. It doesn't say anything. People usually put their personality into their homes. Even Stevie's massive mansion somehow still feels like a family home."

"That's because they mostly only use about three or four of the rooms." He grinned at her. "So are you trying to say that I have no personality?"

"No! Of course not! It's just… this place feels a little… cold. Like you're never actually here very much." Chey seemed to agree. She stayed holding her mom's hand as she looked around her wide eyed, probably judging it for the distinct lack of toys.

Sam sighed. They had him figured out pretty quickly. "You're right. It's not a place that I spend much time. It's just mostly for sleeping. When I'm here I'm pretty much mostly in the office working or in the games room."

"You have a games room?"

Now he felt some enthusiasm. "Come see!" Mercedes followed him through a door that led to a room full of state of the art equipment. It was the only room she'd seen so far that looked in any way lived in. There was a leather couch and beanbags. One wall consisted almost entirely of the largest flat screen HD TV she had ever seen. The wall had shelved lined with computer games for PlayStation, XBox and Wii. One bookcase was entirely taken up with consoles and additional equipment for games such as steering wheels, tennis paddles and guns. And not all of them were new. There were some pretty vintage looking joysticks in pride of place and she couldn't be sure if some of them were for decoration or actual gameplay considering some of the early consoles that now looked museum worthy. There were also shelves and shelves of DVDs. Mostly action movies but also a large collection of box sets. Star Wars, Star Trek, Avatar, Batman, Iron Man and practically every sci-fi movie she had ever heard of was there. His anime collection took up another entire bookcase. There was also a large fridge, cordless phone and microwave which looked as if they had been randomly installed, with no regard to them actually fitting in with the scheme of the rest of the room.

Mercedes was suitably impressed. "Now this looks more like you. I'm guessing this is the room that you come in to release your inner geek."

He grinned shyly. "Yeah. I guess you could say that. It's Puck's favorite room. He and I camp out in here and have weekend long gaming sessions when work gets too crazy and we need a distraction."

"I can definitely see that." She watched carefully as Chey slowly made her way towards the consoles, her fingers twitching. "Don't touch anything Cheyenne ! You can look as much as you like but no fingers because these toys break easily."

The little girl pouted but kept her hands to herself.

"What do you think of my beanbags Annie?" She turned to them and broke out into a smile, already distracted. "Do you want to sit on one?"

"Yes please!" They were huge oversized beanbags and she squealed with delight as she wiggled her bottom and sank further and further into the middle of the one she had chosen.

"I do that too" Sam whispered to Mercedes. "She gets it from me."

"She gets a lot of her mischief from you!"

"I'm not even going to pretend that isn't true."

Mercedes continued to look at his games and accessories. "Wow you even have several dance mats!"

"They're awesome. Puck and I once played a very drunken version of Let's Dance which rapidly turned into Let's See Who Can Stay Upright The Longest!"

"You guys are really good friends."

"Yep. He's my brother from another mother."

"I'm glad it all got sorted out after the drama. I think you need him as much as I need Quinn."

"I think you're right. I like that they're together. They're a good fit. Quinn calms down his crazy and he… I've never seen him this crazy over anyone before. Not even Beth's mother!"

"I'm just glad that they're happy. I honestly thought his heart was going to break that night at my house. They're good for each other. That's what a real relationship is all about."

"Damn right it is. Speaking of them, are you coming to karaoke with us tomorrow night?"

"_Us? _Are you going too?"

"I never miss karaoke with Puck. It's been our tradition for years and it'll me my only chance to see him this visit. I asked Puck, Puck asked Quinn and she asked you. So I think you'll find that you and Quinn are the ones who are the special guests."

"Special guests? I like the sound of that!"

"Don't worry. We'll make sure that we look after you. It'll be just like a 'not that kind of' double date!" He watched as she eyed up the dance mat. "Do you want a go?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want to dance?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Why not. I challenge you and Chey to a dance competition. Neither of us hit the gym this morning and I think it would be fun to burn off some of those pancakes and use up some of Chey's excess energy!" They both looked over at the little girl who had pushed two of the giant beanbags together and was sprawled on top of both them with her arms and legs wide, attempting to make some sort of snow angel between the giggles.

They played and laughed and danced until their stomachs hurt. Sam was amazed at how well Mercedes could dance. She was faster on her feet than he was and her sense of rhythm was spot on. Sam was gracious in defeat, just happy to have had the opportunity to witness Mercedes bouncing up and down like that. There was plenty to feed future fantasies on. In return he busted out the 'windy city' move, his famous body roll that allegedly drove the girls wild in college. From the corner of his eye he swore he saw Mercedes flush, especially when he added a couple of hip thrusts at the end for good measure. Chey was all over the place because she wasn't taking it too seriously and preferred just jumping on the different spots on the mat to the music which was playing inside her own head rather than from the game.

Come lunchtime, Mercedes was disappointed at the lack of food in his kitchen.

"I've been away for six weeks! Nobody's been in this apartment apart from the cleaner in all that time!"

"But Sam. It's not like there's just no fresh food here. That I could understand. There is literally _no _food here. Just a few snacks and some icecream in the freezer. I hope this doesn't mean that you live on takeout every night!"

"It's healthy takeout! And Kirsten always wanted to eat out." He didn't mean to bring her name up. "But mostly I just scrounge what I can from Stevie's so I do eat proper home cooked food because most of the Tupperware in the cupboard is from Rosa sending me back with portions of food to freeze."

"Well I would have made us something but you have the emptiest cupboards I've ever seen. This is nothing but a show kitchen! Have you even used this oven before?"

"Sure. We've put pizzas in."

"I'll rephrase. Have you ever used this oven for anything other than pizza?"

Sam looked as if he was actually seriously thinking about the answer and she rolled her eyes. And so somehow, yet again, they ended up at Unique's and Wade was thrilled to know they would be back the following night for karaoke.

* * *

Unique's looked completely different at night. Gone was the cozy homeliness of the daytime coffee shop and in all honesty, Mercedes felt like she was in a completely different venue. The stage that was only barely visible in the daytime was now more prominently on display, the step lit up with what looked like twinkling fairy lights and a spotlight over the microphone on center stage. There were even deep scarlet curtains covering the walls behind the stage, giving it a more dramatic and professional effect.

All the tables were still there but they had been pushed further back and there was barely any space between them. Nobody seemed to mind though and many people were standing. As soon as they arrived they were ushered by Sunshine to a table near the front that had been reserved for them.

"Wade said you were coming tonight. We've missed you on party nights!" Her smile was wide as she ushered them to their seats and she handed them the cocktail menu.

"This place does cocktails?" Quinn was looking at the cocktail menu incredulously. "I didn't even know it had an alcohol license!"

Puck grinned at her. "It does, they do and Sunshine is the most awesome bartender! I know she doesn't look old enough to be touching alcohol and she's not even tall enough to reach half the bottles on display but that girl has a talent that's been honed with years of practice." He looked more excited than she had ever seen him and even Sam appeared to be on a bit of a high.

Mercedes looked back to the cake counter and realized that it had indeed been converted into a bar. Panels had opened up in the wall behind the counter and inside were huge bottles of every spirit imaginable.

Puck had pulled his seat closer to Quinn's and slipped his arm around the back of it. Sam was desperate to do the same with Mercedes but knew that would be a step too far. He tried to tell himself that she shouldn't pretend in his head that this was a double date even though he totally was. He knew he was staring at her too much but he couldn't help it. Her face was full of life. She was smiling and laughing with friends and it made him feel so happy that his cheeks were going to burst with the huge grin that he was fighting to keep down. He wasn't just on a slippery slope to falling with her, he was already half way down it.

"So what are you going to drink?" He reached for the drinks menu in front of her, intentionally grazing her hand with his as he did so and carefully assessing her expression for any type of reaction. Was that a slight intake of breath? He couldn't be sure and the moment was gone in a blink of an eye. The jolt of electricity he felt was unmistakable though. There was no way she was going to be thinking of Moe tonight.

"I don't know. Is there anything you recommend? I would usually go for something sweet. Maybe something unusual."

"Well if it's unusual you're after then Wade is the king of that. He whenever he travels he brings back some strange drink to use in his cocktails and they're always delicious."

"If you're after something sweet and unusual I can recommend the Feijoa liquer."

Mercedes looked up to see a curvy black woman with a bob smiling at her as she perched on the edge of their table wearing a scarily short gold sequined dress. She returned the smile and frowned slightly at the familiar face. "Hi! Have we met before?"

She was met with a wide grin and a head shake. "I'm Unique and all I have to say is that Unique has been feeling very neglected by her special boys!"

Sam and Puck both shot her guilty expressions and Puck even took Unique's delicately manicured hand and placed a groveling kiss on to it, much to Quinn's amuzement. Mercedes was surprised that Quinn was amuzed rather than jealous of the behavior but even Sam seemed to be shooting Unique an indulgent smile. Before Mercedes could say anything Unique had turned back to her. "Feijoa liquer is something I brought back for my travels in New Zealand. It's not on the menu because I only have a couple of bottles. But you honey, are family because you're with my boys, so you're more than welcome to have a taste because I know you will appreciate it."

"Um… Thanks."

"No problem gorgeous. I'll be right back with your drink myself. I know what the others will be having without asking."

"Wow! She must be Wade's twin sister. She's gorgeous!"

Puck let out a snort of laughter and Sam looked as if he could barely contain himself. She looked over at Quinn who was also smiling and shaking her head slowly. Mercedes didn't understand. "What? Am I missing something?"

Sam let out something that was the cross between a cough and a laugh while Puck most definitely let out a snort before being jammed in the ribs by a smiling Quinn. "Wade is an only child" she said mysteriously.

Mercedes couldn't see how that helped matters and now Quinn was also fighting back the laughter. She felt like she was on the outside of a privately shared joke. "But they have to be related somehow because they look far too alike!"

"We went to school with Wade. Definitely an only child, I promise you that." Sam finally said.

"So what the hell is it that you're not telling me?"

Sam finally stopped sniggering. "The clue was in the shoes…"

"The shoes?" Mercedes remained confused. "But she was just wearing a pair of Wade's shoes."

"Uh huh. _Wade's shoes…_"

She felt like she was missing something obvious. And then the cogs started to turn inside her brain. "Oh. _Ohhhhh…_"

Puck leaned over towards Sam. "I think she's finally getting it."

"So Wade and Unique are…"

"One and the same!" Puck and Sam cried at exactly the same time.

"Oh wow. That sort of makes sen- Wait! So how come Unique doesn't know me?"

"Because you haven't met her. You've only met Wade. They're totally separate entities."

"But you guys knew all along?"

"We went to High School with Wade and met Unique in college. They were interesting times but we had Wade's back all the way through."

"If it's any consolation, I only found out this afternoon when Puck told me. I didn't realize you didn't know and then your face was so funny I just had to let you work it out yourself!" Quinn gave her an apologetic smile but forgiveness wasn't even necessary.

Mercedes looked over to the bar where Wade and Sunshine were standing reading something that was laid out on the counter. Unique had her arm flung around Sunshine's shoulder and her chin was resting on top of the short girl's head. "So are Wade-slash-Unique and Sunshine an item?"

She looked at Sam who simply shrugged then to Puck who did the same, muttering that he's always been too scared to ask. "Guys you really are something else!" Quinn joined her in their laughter until Unique returned bearing a tray. "Here you go honey. One tall Feijoa cooler for you. I've mixed it with lemonade, apple juice, soda water, a shot of vodka and crushed ice. For your friend I have one mango daquiri." She placed the drinks carefully in front of them. "And these two wastes of space can go fuck themselves!" She unceremoniously dumped open bottles of beer in front of Sam and Puck and turned away in an exaggerated huff. The two men snatched up their bottles and clinked them together. "Here's to _manly_ drinks!" They laughed and necked their bottles.

"Really?" Mercedes was surprised. "You come to a place like this and drink beer?"

"Yep. It drives Wade mad. But don't worry, I'd say that over the years we have definitely worked our way through the entire cocktail menu when we didn't have ladies with us to impress." Sam nodded emphatically at Puck's statement. "Plus beer is a far better form of Dutch courage for going on stage."

"So are you guys going to sing?"

Puck looked at Sam. "Maybe. But I think tonight is all about seeing what you guys can do. Us boys can keep an air of mystery for a little while longer.

It was great watching various people take to the stage, most were pretty good but a couple were truly awful.

Quinn and Puck finally went up and sang 'You're The One That I Want' from Grease. They both had amazing voices and worked well with each other. Coming back from the stage to rapturous applause Quinn finally dragged Mercedes up. "The night is nearly over. It's time to show them how it's _really_ done!"

Her second cocktail had finally helped her conquer her nerves so Mercedes finally went up to Unique to have a peek at the playlist.

Sam watched as Mercedes finally took to the center of the stage. People around them were still talking and laughing loudly and he wanted to yell at them to shut up and listen but she simply looked up from the stage, unfazed. Sam could barely hear the music or her words as she began to sing softly.

**Left a good job in the city  
Workin' for the Man every night and day  
But I never lost a minute of sleepin'  
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been**

A few people started to stop talking and turned to the stage as they recognized the song.

**Big wheel keep on turnin'**  
**Proud Mary keep on burnin'**  
**Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river**

By now everyone was silent and turned towards the stage. Mercedes had done nothing, simply softly sang her song, but people started to realize that not only did they know her song, her singing was good. _Really good!_

The second verse was punctuated by cheers and whoops of encouragement and Mercedes started to sing stronger and louder.

**Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis**  
**Pumped a lot of tane down in New Orleans**  
**But I never saw the good side of a city**  
**'Til I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen**

**Big wheel keep on turnin'**  
**Proud Mary keep on burnin'**  
**Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river**

**Yes we're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river**

Mercedes looked up into the audience to see that she had now caught everybody's attention. She'd forgotten how it felt, the rush that she got when performing. Shane had spent so long undermining what she did that the feeling had nearly been lost forever.

Now it was time to turn things up a notch!

**2… 3… 4…**

Suddenly the music got louder and faster and Mercedes put in a shimmy.

**Okay everybody, I think I got you all warmed up. Now it's time to really let you feel the music…**

**Let's take this from the top!**

She broke out into a huge smile. She was Mercedes Jones and Shane Tinsleys of the world be damned, she was _back!_

Pulling the microphone loose from the stand she decided to show Unique and all in the audience what she was really made of. Twice the speed, twice the volume and twice the fun!

**Left a good job in the city  
Workin' for the Man every night and day  
But I never lost a minute of sleep  
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been**

**This time she had everyone's attention and most were already on their feet.**

**Big wheel keep on turnin'**  
**Proud Mary keep on burnin'**  
**Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river**

**Everybody sing with me!**

**Rollin', rollin', rolling' on the river**

**River- do do do do, do do do do, do do do do**

**Alright! Yeah!**

**If you come down to the River**  
**Bet you're gonna find some people who live**  
**You don't have to worry 'cause you have no money**  
**People on the river are happy to give**

**Big wheel keep on turnin'  
Proud Mary keep on burnin'  
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river**

Mercedes looked out into the audience so see how Sam reacted to her singing. She saw Quinn bopping away, the only one who truly knew what Mercedes was capable of, and Puck with his mouth still slightly opened in shock.

But Sam was nowhere to be seen. Biting down her disappointment she powered through.

**Rollin', rollin', rolling' on the river**

**River- do do do do, do do do do, do do do do**

The crowd were so stirred up that Unique kept the chorus going over and over. Mercedes kept looking out into the audience but Sam seemed to have vanished. It was only as she finally took a bow and replaced the microphone that she saw him standing by the door talking on his phone, his face serious with a slight frown. And she pretended it didn't hurt her to the core that he hadn't been listening. She pretended that maybe the performance wasn't to impress him and get him to see another side to her that wasn't a dowdy mother.

Unique came over and pulled her into a crushing hug. "Honey that was _amazing! _I think that was the best performance we've ever had here. Nobody can follow it tonight. Are you going to give us an encore?"

She thought about it but shook her head. Seeing Sam distracted had totally broken her euphoric mood.

"Not tonight. I'm a bit rusty and that really took it out of me. But I promise I'll be back to perform again. I've really missed doing that and your place has great acoustics!"

Unique pouted but saw that Mercedes' decision was final. "Okay I'll accept it for now, but you'll have to come again and grace us with your voice."

"I definitely promise." She smiled. "But only if you sweeten the deal with a couple of cupcakes."

Unique flicked her hair. "Consider it done sweetie! You just have to promise me to wear a dress next time coz that ass of yours needs to shake when you sing! You need to do the original Tina Turner performance and show Beyonce a thing or two about how it's really done!"

Suddenly a pair of arms snaked around her and she turned to meet a sparkling pair of green eyes. "You were amazing. I know you said you could sing but you were just selling yourself short!"

"I looked for you Sam but you'd disappeared. Where did you go?"

"I had to make a call." He steered her through the crowd and congratulations from random strangers back to her seat. "I need to ask you something but I think you need to be sitting down first."

She looked at him with suspicion but allowed herself to be led back to her seat where Quinn hugged her and Puck was effusive with his praise of her performance. Sam allowed her to sit before taking both of her hands in his which made her instantly feel nervous and more than a little flustered. "Mercedes, what are you doing on January 19th?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Why?"

It was Puck's turn to become wide eyed. "Wait, isn't that the annual-"He was rapidly hushed by Sam who gripped her hands even tighter.

"You know you said that you always wanted to sing in front of a massive audience…" Sam's smile was so wide it looked as if his face was going to crack and it made her nervous.

"Yeah…" His excitement both excited and worried her.

"Well, and this is totally up to you, I'm just in initial talks at the moment, but how would you like to sing on a theatre stage in front of an audience of over _two thousand_?"

"_What?_" Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head and Quinn was the same.

"City Center theatre stage to be precise."

Her heart started to pound. "Sam. What the hell are you talking about?"

He shuffled in his seat until he was facing her completely. "Have you heard of the Evans Foundation?"

She nodded her head. She knew it was a charity but in all honesty she didn't know too much detail or even the specifics of what they did.

"In a nutshell, it's the charity that Stevie set up after mom died. Initially it was for leukemia research but through the years the funds are split between several good causes including children's charities. But our main fundraiser event is a show we put on at the beginning of the year at City Center. We have performances of music and comedy and the audience is made up donators as well as children, hospice residents and medical staff. It's a day out for those who are constantly going through endless cycles of treatment, and the staff that look after them as well as donators who have paid for premium tickets to enjoy the performances."

"Sam that's huge!"

"I know. But you can do it. Look how you turned on the audience here tonight. Imagine what you can do on the stage. This is your chance to live your dream and people deserve to hear your voice."

"I don't know Sam."

He rubbed the back of her hands lightly. "I know it's a big ask and you don't have to give me an answer just yet. But I know I took away your chance to do something big and this is my opportunity to give it back. And best of all, it's all for a good cause. You blew me away tonight. You blew us all away. You have the talent and you deserve the showcase. I care about you as a person but I'm also a businessman who has an eye for quality. I'm asking you this because of your talent. You're special Mercedes, don't ever forget that."

She could feel her eyes start to well at his impassioned plea and without thinking she allowed him to take her hand properly.

"And I can think about it, right?"

He nodded.

"Then thank you Sam. It's an amazing offer. I do need to think about it lots more, and I'm sure there's a million questions I'll probably bombard you with, but I promise I do feel honored that you asked and I won't keep you waiting too long for my answer."

Reaching for her drink she took several long swallows as Quinn squealed excitedly next to her.

Could she pull this off?

Did she still have it in her to finally get the solo performance and get her chance to shine?


	23. Goodbye and Hello

**_Apologies for any errors in my understanding of the American healthcare birthing system. This is all just a guess based on stuff from the internet._**

* * *

"Quinn!" Mercedes flung her front door wide as soon as she saw it was her friend and immediately pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to pop by and see my best friend and my little sugar-plum?"

"You know you're always welcome Quinny!"

The blond was already inside and wearing her slippers before they finished their interchange. "So how's you?"

'I'm fine. It was a busy day getting a few things for Chey then George popped round. He only just left actually."

Quinn shot her a concerned look. "And are you okay?"

"I'll be just fine. And judging by the question I'm thinking along the lines that maybe George asked you to come by to make sure that I was alright?"

The reply was a smirk. "Maybe. I can see you're just fine tho, but before we get to chatting I need to go see my baby. Where is she?"

"In the lounge chatting to Sam."

''Already? He's only been gone a couple of days!"

"What can I say? She misses him."

"Only her?" The smirk got wider and Mercedes shot her a look that told her to quit while she was ahead. So she reached into her bag. "I brought wine. I figured if you stick it in the freezer it should be chilled enough by the time Chey's in bed. You may have money now, but there will never be enough money on this earth to buy us class and I'm proud of that fact."

"Speak for yourself! Don't make me school you on the fact that I have more class in my middle finger than you have in the whole of your skinny ass!" There were very few things in life Mercedes loved more than her best friend and they could trade insults like the best of them.

"Ooh Cedes, that one cut me!"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Band-Aids are in the bathroom. The people you want are in the lounge. Go and say hi!" She laughed as she ducked the playful blow that Quinn had aimed at her head.

By the time she had put the wine to chill and pulled out some low-fat chips to munch with her girl, there was laughter coming from the lounge. She walked in to find Chey randomly dancing in the middle of the room and Quinn telling Sam off for one yawn too many. It was already after midnight in London.

'Here she is!"

Mercedes' eyes creased in suspicion as Quinn turned to her from the screen. 'I was just about to come get you. Sam says he won't go til he's said goodnight to you and looking at the state of him he really needs his beauty sleep!"

"Well we can't deny him that now can we!" Mercedes laughed at the sound of Sam's protest and she scooped Chey up from the middle of the floor. "Come on trouble, say goodnight to daddy coz it's time to brush your teeth."

She opened her mouth to protest but one hard stare from Mercedes shut that down with a quickness. Bringing her back to the screen she put her before Sam who did indeed look tired. "Okay, kiss daddy goodnight and we'll go upstairs."

There was another small pout but Chey did lean forward to the screen with her lips puckered just as Sam moved forward in an identical move. Only Chey still hadn't quite got the hand of the fact that she wasn't supposed to actually kiss the screen, just stop near it like she was about to. Because somehow her mouth was leaving sticky marks on the screen from whatever she had been eating.

It always brought a smile to Mercedes' face when she watched Sam lean forward and pucker up too. It was so cute! It was amazing that she used to think bad thoughts about this man!

"Okay ladies, as I'm in London I'll brush up my Shakespeare and say..." He made an exaggerated bow "'I bid you goodnight'." He blew each of them a kiss and Quinn made a huge fuss of fangirling over the action which he grinned at.

"Hey Mercedes..." _Damn, after all this time, the way he pronounced her name was still doing things to her stomach... _"Have you had a chance to think any more about what I asked you?"

She sighed. "Yeah I have. I just need a little more time. Can I tell you by first thing Monday morning? That gives me a clear seven days to let me think it through."

"Sure thing! That sounds reasonable."

"Thanks Sam."

She ended the call and logged out of Skype.

"_I won't go until I've said goodnight to Mercedes!" _That was the moment when she really wanted to smack her friend. It wasn't the bad impression or the rolling eyes that bugged her, it was the damn kissy face that went with it. That shit was just unnecessary!

"So are you coming up for storytime or what?"

Quinn quickly followed her up the stairs and enjoyed being guest reader for the night.

By the time they had returned to the lounge with the now chilled wine and chips Mercedes had honestly forgotten the purpose of her friend's impromptu visit. But Quinn certainly hadn't.

"So I guess I can report back to George and tell him that all is well on the Cedes' heart front."

"Huh? Oh yeah. Moe..."

"Wow girl! It didn't take you long to forget him at all!"

"I didn't forget him. It's just that my brain was in overload today. Unluckily for him this came at a time when I was already pissed off at him." Mercedes quickly typed a few words into her phone before continuing. "It didn't help that I already wasn't in the best mood with him because on our date he'd said some things about Sam which were totally unnecessary, plus he said he had to suddenly go away the next day and didn't make any contact. Then when he got back and I told him we'd been out to karaoke he got super possesive and basically said that I shouldn't do stuff like that with other people while he was away."

Quinn's eyes widened. "He's been so nice before. He really said that?"

"Damn right he did."

"That's rude!"

"Believe me! So I told him that I had every right to go out with my best friend, especially as he's always going away himself. Then he sort of backtracked and said that he didn't have a problem with you but he did have a problem with me spending social time with my ex and letting him sleep over in the house, especially with the way that he looks at me."

"The sleeping over is a potentially messy situation but was necessary under the circumstances. But Moe has a problem with the way Sam looks at you?"

"Apparently so. But they only met for less than five minutes so I don't really see how he can legitimately come up with that opinion..."

"Well Sam was definitely looking at you a lot when we did karaoke..."

"He was watching me sing!"

"Yeah, you tell yourself that!" Quinn muttered to herself as she topped up her wine. "So, I have a feeling I'm beginning to know where this relationship is going but I still have to ask, how does it feel to have been dating a criminal?"

"No criminal activity has been proven!"

"True. But the fact that he is currently under investigation by more than one federal department for 'financial irregularities' must count for something!"

"Of course it does. But whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?"

"Nothing. But do you really think he's innocent?"

"I'm not one to judge Q."

"I'm not asking you to judge. I'm just saying go with your gut. What is your gut telling you?"

Mercedes paused as she thought it through. "My gut is telling me that he deals in cash too much, can't explain his job in simple terms and keeps disappearing last minute on 'business'. It's shady as hell and I don't need that around me and my child. I have to watch my step at every turn now because of who Chey's father is."

Mercedes finally put her phone down and pushed it away slightly.

"Okay, that's pretty sound reasoning. Now before I snatch that phone from you are you going to tell me who you're texting or am I going to have to guess?"

"Oh it's nobody."

"Those thumbs were flying girl! That was not 'nobody'. Please tell me that wasn't Moe!"

"It wasn't Moe."

She was met with a raised eyebrow and an enquiring look that she knew wasn't going away until she'd given her friend a satisfactory answer. "Okay so it was Sam."

"I thought he was supposed to be sleeping!"

"That's what I just told him! He said he just wanted to make sure that I was okay because I looked a little stressed earlier."

"That was thoughtful of him." Quinn mused.

"It was nothing. He called while George was still here and I guess I was still a little flustered by what he had told me."

"I bet he and George get on well."

"Actually they've never met until today. Chey forced him to 'say hello to daddy' and I think Sam seemed a bit surprised to see a man here."

"So what did you say?"

"The truth. George was the guy that introduced me to Moe and he'd come to give me some information about him. I've told Sam to go to sleep now but I will fill him in on Chey's next Skype chat. Sam was just worried that I seemed upset but I truly am not and when I explain he'll understand that. It's just, with Sam being who he is, I think its best that I do come clean and tell him all about it once I've got my head around it myself. I don't want anything bad getting back to him or his family. Besides," she straightened up and took a sip of her wine "he also says that he's happy you're here with me right now and I'm to tell you to say hi to Puck for him."

"Really?"

The phone buzzed once more and she quickly flicked the screen. "Really. I can show you the text if you don't believe me. I'm just saying goodnight now… _Shit!_" Mercedes gasped and slapped her hand across her mouth with a cringe.

"What's wrong?"

"That awkward moment when you're not concentrating on a text and you accidentally put a kiss on the end before realizing who you were sending it to! Ugh, he's going to think I'm creeping out on him!"

"No he won't. He'll probably be flattered."

"Yeah right!" There was one more buzz and she cringed again before looking at the response before heaving a sigh of relief.

"What did he say?"

She leaned forward and showed the message:

**Nite x**

"I think I got away with it Q. He doesn't seem mad or weirded out. He just responded the same way. Luckily I only used one kiss and not three like I do with you. Can you imagine he would probably think I'm some drunk stalker or something!"

"Yeah, definitely something! But I need you to put that phone away now and focus. Have you decided what you're going to do about Moe?"

"I'm going to follow George's advice and cut all contact. I don't want to unwittingly be dragged into any investigations that may be happening. Especially with my own recent increase in income."

"But all yours is documented and legally established through Sam's lawyers. There's nothing for you to be afraid of."

"I know. But it's still a worry."

"I think you'll be fine. Do you have any gifts or expensive stuff that he's bought you?"

"Thankfully no. We've only been for a couple of coffees and a couple of dates. It wasn't as if he was at the stage of buying me expensive jewelry and stuff. Coming to think of it, I've probably had more flowers from Sam than I have from Moe."

"Sam sends you flowers?" Quinn moved forward slightly, sensing something juicy was about to be revealed only to be disappointed.

"Not recently, just once for my birthday and once to cheer me up after those girls were being bitchy at the zoo. All I ever had from Moe was a shedload of text messages and single red rose from one of those cheesy sellers when we were already out."

Quinn reached for the bowl of chips and took a handful while Mercedes shook her head at the offer of more.

"I just feel sorry for George. He was so apologetic when he came by earlier. He says that he feels terrible and would never have introduced me to anyone who he thought may have been dodgy."

"He clearly didn't know at the time and as soon as he did he came to warn you so he can't really be blamed."

"That's what I told him. And he knows that I'm really thankful for him being a friend and giving me the heads up."

"So I'm guessing he thinks this investigation really might go somewhere?"

Mercedes nodded. "Apparently some of the files that were taken from his office for review were ones that had been queried by someone else before. It seems maybe they'd been anonymously tipped off about something but never had enough information to act until now."

"And have you spoken to Moe?"

"Not directly. He was already in a huff about our disagreement so I just sent a message to say I don't think it's a good idea that we see each other. I wasn't going to let on that I know about him being under investigation so I just said that if we were finding it hard to agree this early on then it wouldn't be right to pursue things any further. My family and my friendships are already established and I'm not prepared to change them, or change who I am so maybe I'm not the right person for him and it's only fair to say this now before things go too far."

"Wow Mercedes! Way to dump someone."

"I wasn't dumping him. We weren't officially a 'thing' yet. It was just a couple of dates."

"You tell yourself that. The way Quinn sees it, you dumped his sorry ass as the first signs of him potentially being a jerk. And a criminal one at that." She raised her glass in a toast. "Here's to my best friend finally being strong enough to dump someone who treats her like shit, and long may it last!"

Mercedes looked at her incredulously. "You _what?_"

"Mercy, you are finally learning to stand up for yourself and the way you've handled today is a massive achievement. Mercedes a few months ago would be in a tearful cookie bake fest, musing over bad decisions, but _this_ Mercedes, who I am loving by the way, has taken charge, made a decision straight away, is sticking to it and is looking damn sexy at the same time. Now if you're not going to drink to that then give me your glass and I'll drink twice!"

She finally reluctantly decided _to hell with it _and clinked her glass with Quinn before descending into giggles with her damn near perfect best friend.

"Finish the bottle and sleep in Sam's room tonight?"

She watched as her friend's eyebrow arched but couldn't think of what she had just said that could have raised her attention.

"Sure. I'll sleep in _Sam's _room tonight…"

* * *

It had been one hell of a week. Mercedes was feeling out of sorts, not because she was unwell, but because she was riddled with so many emotions that she didn't know how to handle them. And there suddenly felt like there were decisions that needed to be made, but it was difficult to know deep down, whos best interests she was really acting in.

First of all there was Sam's offer which she was _still_ musing over. She _really _didn't know what to say to that. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Sure he had said she was being asked because of her talent but there was a large part of her that still felt he was only doing it out of guilt for ruining any potential of a career that she may have had before she became pregnant. What he didn't know is that Shane had already put paid to that. And not only was he right when he said that her face did not 'fit' the industry, there was also the fact that her life was changed. A music career was not what she was dreaming of anymore. Her dreams were tied up in her daughter now and she was more than content with that. The last thing she wanted was public attention. On the other hand, to perform, on stage, a real proper theatre stage... Just once... Surely that couldn't hurt? Of all the things she would have loved to achieve by the age of thirty, that one had been well and truly crossed off a long time ago. But to do it, just once, after years of being flung aside… years of being pushed to the background in her music club so that others with more 'drive', 'visual acceptability' and 'perceived talent' could elbow their way to the forefront. It would be so wonderful to show them that they were wrong. The world is bigger than high school. Maybe she should go ahead and perform. Then again, it would expose her, not just musically, but to the prying eyes of others. Was she ready for that kind of attention yet?

And then there was work. She didn't need to work but she wanted to. It was her one foothold on reality from the amazing wonders and changes that had happened her. But it was really stressing her out. Thankfully she had booked time off for Chey's Thanksgiving break and was not looking forward to going back. She never liked the job but it was a means to an end. She'd stuck with it for a really long time, but it was only now dawning on her that she didn't _need_ to stick with it anymore. She didn't have to work at all. She did it because it was part of her routine and she still used that income for the day to day living costs of her and Cheyenne , but she didn't need to do it anymore. The reason she did it was to dignify herself. She had said from the start that she would never become a _kept_ woman and she meant that with all her heart. On the other hand, it was only just occurring to her that it didn't mean she should stick with a job that she hated with an employer who did not appreciate her and insidiously looked down on her whenever she needed to take leave for her child. She wanted to work but she didn't need _that_ particular job. What was stopping her from finding something that she really wanted to do? What was stopping her from finding a job that actually challenged her brain and that didn't regularly leave her alone in a room with an employer who would only address her breasts rather than her face when speaking to her?

Why exactly was she sticking this out? Could she really say it was for her pride if she really wasn't enjoying what she was doing, and it was most definitely something which did not make her feel proud? The world was her oyster. She now had choices. She could search for the jobs that she really wanted to do. She could take courses and train herself up with new skills. She could do… whatever she damn well wanted! Maybe it was time for a change. Maybe it was time to stop sticking with something when she wasn't giving it 100%

And speaking of sticking with something when she wasn't giving it her all… There was Moe. Was it wrong that she was relieved that George had come round to speak to her about him and advise her that he was being investigated for financial irregularities? Was it wrong that she didn't feel at all bad when he had said that it was in her best interest not to have any connections with him? The more she thought about it the more it almost made sense that there was something going on. He never quite fully explained what it was that he did for work and he was always having to suddenly disappear off 'on business'. And the fact that he hadn't even bothered to reply to her text obviously indicated that he had other things going on in his life that were taking a higher priority. She had already deleted his phone number and would be speaking to Sam in a couple of days about it. She was really looking forward to some reassurance from him that none of Moe's mess would end up sticking to her. She was never actually officially his girlfriend so hopefully she would be immune to what was happening. But yes, the reassurance would definitely do her good.

Sure she would miss his company and after a couple of days she was already missing his jokes. And she didn't doubt at all that he was or at least had been fond of her, but those warning signs of him having traits of ugly were something she sure as hell was never going to put up with again. Letting him worm his way into her life had been easy. Things were a lot more straightforward in her mind about him when Sam wasn't there. She had managed to push all foolish thoughts of anything with the green eyed charmer aside and move on to enjoy the first real male attention in ages. Sure she had been on a couple of dates previous to that, including the ones with George, but they had all been set up. This was the first time that she had actually been asked out by someone. Someone who had seen her, paid attention and wanted to get to know her. And it was all well and good while Sam's back was turned, while she was needing a distraction, while she was sorting through her emotions. It was so much easy to settle for something which wasn't her dream but as was as near to it as she was ever going to get. But then before she knew it Sam was back. And damned if he wasn't also newly single _and_ highly flirtatious. It was impossible to deal with!

Why did Sam mess with her mind so much? If she didn't know better she would say that he was intentionally messing with her head dropping hints and saying things that were a step beyond the casual nature of their relationship. It was like he enjoyed the tease, pushing that little bit too far and being overgenerous with compliments. Not that she hadn't played up to it on occasion herself. She would be lying if she denied the fact that when she got dressed for her date with Moe she had also wanted to see what Sam's reaction to it had been. And she liked to think that he too had been left just a little bit slack-jawed over it. She knew for a fact that it wasn't just Moe who was staring when she had walked past to say goodnight to Chey. Sam's reaction excited and scared her at the same time. On the one hand she was disbelieving and in denial that someone like her could have any effect on him. And on the other hand she knew damn well that she was playing with fire and was happy to go on fanning the flames. It made her feel- dammit, it made her _feel. _Period.

But why was she even bothering? It's not as if someone like her would ever have a chance with Sam. He was a good guy, generous, caring and thoughtful but none of those things were outside of his basic nature. And she sure as hell didn't want to be like one of those girls who developed stupid crushes and fell in love just because somebody did something nice for them. Men like Sam Evans don't follow girls like Kirsten Kane with someone who looks like her! It was one of the harsh but true facts of life.

But to have Moe suddenly ripped out of the equation made everything seem that little less harmless. Next time she saw him and he flirted, he would be single, _she_ would be single and there would be no defense. But then the chances of him flirting were zero anyway. He would probably come back from London with a hot British girlfriend in tow.

Her week of decisions was suddenly made easier on the Friday by a text message from Stacey. Holly had suddenly gone into labor and was asking for her. It was her first day back at work after the thanksgiving break and she'd only been in the office for forty-five minutes yet without hesitation she had grabbed her coat to leave. Her boss had stopped her at the door and when she had explained that her friend had gone into labor he simply shook his head unsympathetically and told her that she was going nowhere. She had no more leave or personal days left for the year and unless she was sick and needed to go home she had to stay.

Mercedes was disbelieving. "And if I go?"

"Then don't come back."

"And if I stay?"

"I'll let you leave an hour early out of the goodness of my heart."

She knew for a fact his heart contained no goodness. He just didn't want a lawsuit. Kissing her teeth she slowly turned back to her desk, painfully aware of his eyes following her as she slowly unbuttoned her coat. She wouldn't break down. Not now. Holly needed her. And Holly was more important to her than this stupid stinking job! She'd held on to it for nearly three years and hated everything apart from her colleague Janice who she shared a desk with. Janice didn't mind the job so much and now that her son was at school could do with a few more hours.

Suddenly the choice was surprisingly easy. Instead of undoing the last button she redid the ones she just opened. She then took her photograph of Chey and put it into her bag together with the novelty pen holder that Artie had bought her before smiling at Janice. "Enjoy the extra hours. I'll text you later."

Straightening her spine and fixing her smile firmly on her face she headed for the door a second time, well aware of her employer's stare as she did so.

"Mercedes Jones, where the hell do you think you're going?"

"My friend is having a baby and being there for her is more important to me than this job is!"

She could tell he was taken aback. Not everyone lived and breathed this job like he did. To her it was simply a means to an end. An end she could temporarily find elsewhere until she found something she truly liked.

"Mercedes you do understand that if you walk through that door your employment will be terminated with immediate effect and I will not be supplying you with a reference?"

She stared him straight in the eye. "I understand. I also understand that if I walk through this door I will also no longer be subject to your continually addressing my breasts instead of my face with immediate effect. That alone makes this worth it."

With a smile she walked through the door, pulling it with a satisfying slam behind her before squealing as she skipped down the stairs to hand her security pass to the receptionist as she exited.

Nearly three years.

No reference.

_Didn't give a shit!_

* * *

"I'm sorry ma'am. I'm not sure who let you in but it's immediate family only."

"Look, I already explained to the nurse outside that-"

"Then I'm sorry but she should not have let you through. We have very strict rules about-"

"Mercedes?" She looked around the bird faced nurse to see Stacey heading towards her. And she was glad to see her because she was moments away from cutting the next bitch to take one look at her and decide it wasn't even worth listening to her explain who she was before turning her away! After walking out of her job she was feeling pretty damn fearless.

Instead of getting the hint the nurse turned to Stacey "I'm sorry miss but she can't be up here."

Stacey met her with steely blue eyes of her own and used her height to stare the older woman down. "I think you'll find that _she _can be here and will be staying right here with me. _She_ is our sister-in-law and part of our immediate family."

"But-"

"No buts! You had no problem letting me through as sister-in-law. I'm as much a blood relation to Holly as Mercedes is. If she has to go then _I_ have to go, and believe me, if that happens, my brother will take it up with your supervisor, your supervisor's supervisor, the board of directors _and_ the media. The world will know that you denied Holly access to the woman she's been asking for simply because of her color. She is the mother of our niece and will forever be _our sister _and if you have a problem with that I suggest you go take it to someone who actually gives a shit about your narrow minded opinions!"

_Damn, _thought Mercedes, _is it even possible to love this pixie haired girl more right now?_

There was the sound of the private room door opening and a doctor and nurse started to back their way out, still clearly speaking to Holly. The three of them turned towards the now open door and the nurse who had been blocking said something in a weak voice about only one visitor at a time but Stacey held up her hand. "Again, my brother, your supervisor, one call, your choice!"

Accepting defeat she waved the two of them in, only for them to be stopped at the door by the doctor. Stacey looked ready to murder him too. "This is Mercedes. She's coming in."

"Hey, that's fine with me. The epidural is all up and running but I'm going to have to ask you both to get scrubbed and gowned up before you go back in."

Stacey noticeably calmed down. "That we can do."

They followed the nurse to the side room, where she showed them what they needed to do and handed them surgical gowns. As they scrubbed their hands and nails Stacey was still seething. "I can't believe the nerve of that bitch. I'm still tempted to report her skinny birdlike ass anyway!"

"I'm just thankful for the way you stood up for me. Do you really see me as your sister?"

"Of course I do. So do Stevie and Holly."

"And Sam?"

Stacey stayed silent for a moment as she scrubbed vigorously at her nails. "We all care about you very much."

Mercedes didn't know what to make of that answer and Stacey clearly wasn't about to elaborate so she allowed it to drop. For now. "So where did you learn to let rip about attitudes like that?"

She smiled wickedly. "Did I forget to tell you my new boyfriend Jake is bi-racial? Half black and half Jewish. I'm already prepared for all sorts of shit!"

Mercedes was never more glad to have walked out of her job when she saw Holly. She looked hot, sweaty and exhausted although thankfully no longer in pain. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her usually pale skin was flushed from exhaustion. She looked up at Mercedes with a smile and reached out her hand. "You came!"

"Of course I did. I promised I would didn't I!"

"I hope it wasn't too much trouble getting out of work!"

She grinned. "Nothing I couldn't handle. I'll tell you about it afterwards. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit!"

"Yeah well you can't say I didn't warn you!"

"I thought you were exaggerating!"

"Everyone always does. But the best part is knowing that it's all worth it at the end. Where's Stevie?"

Tears streamed down Holly's face, only to be halted by her breathing through a contraction.

Stacey came forward, phone in hand with the answer. "His plane just landed. He'll be here in thirty minutes."

"Oh thank the- ooooooohh..."

Mercedes allowed Holly to hold her hand in a bone crushing grip as she guided her through the breathing exercises. "We argued this morning" Holly began, when the wave subsided. "He had a meeting to attend first thing this morning which he wanted to cancel because I had a bad night but I insisted he went. It's a one hour flight on his jet and he didn't want to leave me alone and be so far away but it's a foreign investor who still believes in the power of a literal handshake and I talked him into going, saying with the private jet he would probably be back before I even got out of bed. We said words before he left. Then just as his flight would have been half way there my water broke. I thought I still had a few hours but it everything's moving so fast and now he might not be back in time..." She struggled to fight back the sobs.

"Oh Holly, he will be. He won't be mad at you for this. And he'll definitely be here in time for you and the boys."

"That's what Stacey said. But it's all happening so quickly. I wanted to wait for him before having the epidural but the doctor said there was a chance I'd be too far along to have it if we waited much longer so I had to go ahead."

Mercedes and Stacey stayed each side of the bed, holding one hand each as the contractions came faster and stronger. Even the midwife was amazed at the speed of her progress. "I don't thing we have long to go now!"

Holly shot Mercedes a panicked look and she reassured her. "He'll be here. He wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I don't know, I really need to push… Aaaargh…"

Mercedes decided to check and wished she didn't. She immediately hit the alarm button. "Stacey, go get the midwife. Holly's crowning!"

She barely made it to the door when a stricken looking Stevie came running in, his gown flapping in the wind. "Am I too late?"

"You're right on time. Your wife is about to crush every single bone in my hand!"

* * *

It was getting worse. Every time Sam closed his eyes she was right there in his dreams.

_As usual her scent filled his nostrils and a couple of tendrils of her hair were in his face. She moved slightly in his arms, clearly trying to get comfortable against her body pillow and groaning when she couldn't._

_"You awake honey?"_

_"Humph!" was her grumbled reply._

_He reached forward and rubbed small circles on her extremely swollen belly. "How's our little one doing?"_

_"He's lazy, that's what he is. Should have been here a week ago but no, it's warm and cozy inside so he'd rather stay there!" Yep. She was definitely in a grumbly mood._

_"Well I can't say I blame him." Sam spooned her closer to her and nuzzled her neck. "He clearly gets the whole cozy pressed up against you thing from his daddy."_

_"His daddy is a fool!"_

_He nibbled the lobe of her ear. "For you, every time!" Running kisses down her jawline he adjusted himself slightly, nestling his hips closer against her luscious ass._

_"And will you quit poking me with that thing!"_

_"Hey, that's not what you were saying nine months ago!"_

_"I was out of my mind nine months ago."_

_"Damn right you were. I remember it clearly… 'Oooh Sam… right there… yes… theretherethere…. More…oh baby… don't stop… just like that… I'm cumming… cum with me Sam…' It was hot!" He was now peppering those small kisses on her neck that he knew she was never able to resist._

_"I don't sound like that when we make love!"_

_"And how do you know? You're always too busy seeing stars!"_

_"Yeah well I'm never letting you touch me again!"_

_"Really?" He leaned his head forward and she turned her head back towards him so that they could kiss as he caressed her, gently skimming over her swollen and hypersensitive breasts._

_"Yeah, really" she said breathlessly._

_"Your body tells me something else entirely." He slowly ran his hand up her thigh and underneath her nightdress and she moaned in response. "You know there's always that article we read online that says semen can help trigger labor."_

_"It said you'd need loads of it to contain enough of the hormone to do that."_

_"Yeah? And since when do I ever have a problem providing you with loads of it?"_

_He ran his fingers along the outside of her already damp panties. Pregnancy had made her constantly horny and he was loving it. He kissed her again, deeper this time until she moaned._

_"Wanna try?"_

_"Hmmm…"_

_Moving her panties to the side he lifted her leg over his and slipped carefully into her wetness from behind, starting a slow and gentle rhythm, making sure he didn't go too deep as his hips collided with her soft ass over and over again-_

"Sir? Excuse me sir?"

He opened his eyes to see a male steward leaning over him. "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to return your seat to the upright position and fold your table away because the seatbelt lights have come back on and we've begun our descent into JFK."

"Of course."

Never had Sam been so glad of the blanket bunched over his nether regions, keeping the effects of his dream hidden from view.

By the time he reached the Medical Center it was all over. Holly was asleep and a tearful Stevie was walking around in circles trying to work the adrenaline out of his system. He literally picked Sam up as he hugged him. "They're beautiful Sam! They're amazing!"

"Congratulations Stevie!" He had never felt prouder of his brother than he did at that moment and he watched as Stevie could do nothing but just nod with happiness before squeezing him again. Stacey ran in to join the hug and the three of them squeezed each other tight.

He then spotted Mercedes standing in the corner, watching them with an indulgent smile. "Come on!" He called her over and included her in the family group hug. "Thank you for being here."

"I would never have been here if it wasn't for you" Mercedes replied softly.

Sam was more affected than he realized by his brother's tears. It took him back to that awful day when he'd told him of their first miscarriage. It was the day that their own relationship had taken a turn for the better. And the day that he had first met Mercedes. Surely it wasn't a coincidence that they were all tied up together like this?

"How are the babies?"

"They're going to be okay. Ben was out first. He's 5.2 pounds and healthy. Jack was twelve minutes later and 4.8 pounds. We're just waiting to hear back about him because the doctor says he looks jaundiced. He told us not to be concerned but they want to do further testing. But he's really impressed with their birth wieights considering they're still slightly early. Holly says it's all the full fat Halloumi cheese that she's been craving and she's probably right!"

"How long are you staying Sam?" Stacey looked at him eagerly and he felt bad to be the bearer of bad news.

"Not long. I have to get back to London for tomorrow. I left an extremely important meeting to come here right now and they've rescheduled it for 24 hours later because the client needs to leave the country after that. I'm here the rest of the day but have to fly back first thing tomorrow morning for an evening meeting there. I know it sucks but when I this is all over I know our wonderful CEO will reward me with lots of time off which I will gladly use!"

Stevie grinned and rolled his eyes but pulled him close. "I will always owe you for this!"

"And I will never let you forget it!"

They were interrupted by a polite cough and they turned to see the doctor waiting for them. "Mr Evans, I'd like to have a word with you and your wife please."

Stacey, Mercedes and Sam cast each other wide eyed looks as the doctor led Stevie back in the room and closed the door behind them. "I hope everything's okay…" mused Stacey quietly.

Mercedes took her hand. "It will be honey. It will be."

Sam took their free hands in his and hoped along with them.


	24. Pandora's Box

**_For all my research I totally forgot until I was reminded last night that yesterday was Thanksgiving, so belated wishes. This chapter is the conclusion of the 'day' started in the previous one because the chapter was running too long._**

**_Proofreading will be done tomorrow as I have toothache and now that the painkillers have finally kicked in I will try to get some sleep before it becomes impossible again..._**

* * *

"So what's the verdict?"

They were all in the room crowded around Holly's bed. Stevie was sat on the bed next to her and he held his silently crying wife in his arms. Sam had flown in and embraced her and she had clung to him for a little while and thanked him for making the journey. Ever the authority figure, Stevie was the one to fill them in. "Ben is doing fantastically, he's a good weight considering he's a couple of weeks early and he should be able to go home when we do. Jack… Jack has jaundice. The doctor says it's not unusual but they want to keep him in NICU for a couple of days for phototherapy treatment and to keep a closer eye on him."

"My poor baby!" Holly's voice was a broken sob.

"How long is he going to be there?" asked Mercedes, concerned.

"Hopefully only two or three days. It depends on how he responds. They're not worried about his birth weight, only the jaundice, so once it settles he can come home too."

"I'm not leaving without both of my babies!" Holly was still trying hard not to sound distraught.

"I know Holly, I know. And we will. Just let the doctors take care of him."

"Can we see him?" Stacey's expression was the most serious she had ever seen it.

"Not yet. Ben will be brought down soon for Holly to feed him but Jack is still having tests done. As soon as they've got him settled we can go up but visiting is more restricted."

Mercedes took Holly's hands in hers. "You have to trust them. They're the best equipped to look after Jack."

Holly tried her best to feel reassured. "How long was Chey in NICU?"

"Just over five weeks."

_Five weeks! _Sam wondered how the hell he hadn't known that it was that long. And yet he was proud of Mercedes for being the voice of calm and reason that his sister-in-law needed right now.

"Chey had a much lower birth weight and needed oxygen at the beginning. Jack will just be having monitoring and the light treatment. He needs you to stay strong for him. And he needs his brother coz he'll be missing him like crazy right now. But there's more than enough love from all of you to get him through this."

There was a knock on the door and a nurse wheeled a baby in. "I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to ask everyone except dad to leave until after baby's finished feeding."

They all filtered out of the room after stealing glimpses of the tiny baby in the glass crib.

Outside was an agonizing wait. The initial euphoria was dampened slightly by Jack's condition but Mercedes was able to reassure Sam and Stacey that he was going to be just fine with treatment. Sam didn't look pleased, pacing up and down and wishing he could stay longer but there really was nothing that his extended presence could do. At least he was here to see the babies now and that was the important thing.

Mercedes used the time to call her mom and check in on Chey. Dionne had picked her up from kindergarten and would keep her as long as necessary. It was at that point that they realized they hadn't eaten lunch and decided to grab sandwiches and coffee in the canteen to kill time before they got to see the first baby.

Ben Ethan Evans was a dream. He barely opened his eyes but when he did they were the deepest blue, just like those of his parents and there was a scramble to be the first to hold him. Sam had such an expression of pride when he was in his arms and Mercedes thought that she saw a mist in his eye too. The sight of him carefully holding the tiny baby like that made her stomach flutter. He was a natural father and she wished more than anything that he could have been around when Chey was small. At one point he looked up and she caught his eye and could have sworn that he was thinking exactly the same thing too.

When they finally brought a chair for Holly to go up to NICU with Stevie, she left him with his aunts and uncle and they whispered quietly and took pictures of his funny wrinkled sleeping face They were all still desperate to touch him and make him open his eyes again but knew he needed to rest.

Before long it started to get late and Mercedes realized that she needed to go. She could have left Chey to sleep at her mom's but with everything that had happened she really needed to see and be with her own baby. Because Sam was having to travel back to London, they allowed him to be the first to visit Jack. Mercedes and Stacey could always visit the next day because Stacey had postponed her return to Yale after Thanksgiving break and Mercedes now no longer had work obligations.

They were sat together again as Holly ate a light meal before she finally excused herself. She needed to collect Chey from her mom. At that point they realized that they should all go and leave Holly to get some rest. Stacey was going back to Stevie's house to fill Rosa in on the day and show her the multitude of pictures while Sam looked sad at the prospect of returning to his apartment. Now that she had seen it she understood why. After the rush and togetherness of the day, the idea of having to go back to such a stark empty place was a hard one and she knew he probably wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to see Chey, however briefly.

She was about to make a suggestion when Holly spoke up first. "Sam, why don't you go with Mercedes? If you both leave now you'll catch Chey before her bedtime. And her place is closer to the airport than yours so you can have a few minutes extra in the morning."

He flushed. "I can't just invite myself-"

Mercedes knew she would have to reassure him herself. "Sam you're welcome anytime. You know that. And Chey will be delighted to have you pick her up. It'll be a really nice surprise."

"I think it's a good idea too" added Stacey, "You shouldn't go home alone tonight. I have Rosa, Stevie and Holly will be together. I can't bear the idea of you alone in that apartment with your thoughts. You'll probably just start playing games til you fall asleep then miss your flight or something stupid like that!"

That brought a smile to Sam's face. The idea of him ended up camped out in the games room was highly likely, but the idea of him missing his flight back just didn't bear thinking about. "I don't want to impose…"

"Since when has your staying ever been an imposition?" For some reason an image of Moe bitching about Sam sleeping over in her home popped into her head but she immediately dismissed it. That wasn't the same thing and she knew it. Moe was simply bitter because for some reason he perceived Sam to be a threat, but her relationship with Sam wasn't like that. They could easily sleep in the same house without ulterior motives.

"I guess I could…"

"In that case we would have to leave now or you won't get to see Chey awake at all." She hated to rush him but she needed her baby.

Sam turned regretfully to Stevie and Holly but they urged him to go, knowing that the travel, the jetlag and the short stay were going to leave him exhausted. He might not feel it right now, but he would do soon.

It was a tearful goodbye, and Sam promised to call as soon as he got back, but it was still hard to walk out of the room and shut the door behind them.

The car journey back to Dionne's mostly silent for Sam and Mercedes. Both were caught up in their thoughts. For Mercedes, too many memories had come flooding back. She felt Holly's pain of having a baby and it being taken away from her. But she also had first-hand knowledge of how good the doctors were and hoped to use that to ease some of her pain. When she was going through it she desperately wished she had someone to talk to who could understand what she was going through. Now she wanted to be that person for Holly.

Sam too was thinking about the day. Yes he was tired from travelling, but he was also emotionally drained. First the happiness of knowing the babies had been born and then the heartbreak of seeing little Jack Elliott Evans in the incubator. He looked so small and helpless. The nurse had said it would be good if he spoke to him so he had introduced himself and told Jack a little about his family. It was hard. What the hell do you say to a newborn baby? They don't understand anyway! Somehow, through nerves, he had even pulled out a couple of impressions. It's not like Jack was about to tell anybody what his uncle had done anyway. He remembered how terrible he had felt the night that Chey was sick and knew that their lack of experience would have made them feel so much worse. It was hard enough being new to parenting let alone being thrown straight into the deep end with it.

It also felt weird being a passenger in Mercedes' car, like somehow she was taking control. But on this occasion he didn't mind too much. Just the idea of being with her was making him feel better. And so was the knowledge that he was going to get to see Chey, even if it was only briefly. The thought of going back to that empty apartment alone physically hurt him after the day that he'd had. Just like the day he came back from Tennessee, he knew that there was comfort in being around Mercedes.

Traffic was slow moving and by the time they reached Dionne's, Chey was already dozing on the couch. The usually scary woman seemed pleased to see him and they spent a few minutes recounting the day and showing her pictures before they took Chey home to her bed. It wasn't until they were nearly back at the house that they remembered that they'd only had sandwiches at the hospital and were now impossibly hungry despite their fatigue, so they grabbed some takeout on the way back.

Chey didn't wake up for the whole journey back and Sam was happy to carry her inside and up to her room, but by the time Mercedes had got her changed into pajamas and made her use the bathroom she was in a groggy state of alertness and clearly pleased to see him. There was no need for a story tonight, but Mercedes and Sam both unspokenly seemed to agree that they just needed to sit with Chey and watch her fall back asleep before leaving her. The events of the day seemed to have added another layer of connection between them.

Sam was about to head back down the stairs to grab the food when Mercedes stopped him. "Can you do me a favor and help me get something?"

"Sure." He followed her into her room which was strange and slightly tantalizing in itself, and was bemused as she pulled the chair from her vanity and placed it in front of her closet and climbed on top of it. "Mercedes if you wanted me to reach for something you should just ask."

"I can reach. I just need you to hand the box to because I don't want to have to throw it down onto the bed. Besides, I know where everything is up here. You'd be searching blind."

"I still don't think you should-" He knew he should protest more at what she was doing, but the way that she was reaching up into the top of the closet was making her ass wiggle tantalizingly close to his face.

"Here you go!" He was pulled out of his distraction by Mercedes turning slightly and handing a large shoe box to him. He took it from her as she used both hands to grip the back of the chair to climb down and returned it to its original place.

"You need a ladder up here, it's dangerous. And you're so short!" He grinned and she simply rolled her eyes at him. "So what's in the box anyway?"

"Something I want to give to Holly. You'll see when we get downstairs. Our Pad Thai is probably already getting cold."

Only when they were sat side by side on the couch with their steaming boxes of noodles did she finally open the shoebox. "If you get any food or grease on any of the contents I will personally kill you slowly and painfully."

Suitably chastened he waited as she removed the lid and put the box between them. It was full of an assortment of things, photographs, baby clothes and pictures. "This box is full of Chey memories from when she was first born. I haven't looked inside it for a long while but I know exactly what I'm looking for." The first thing she pulled out was Chey's hospital ankle tag. Taking it from her Sam ran his fingers over it, desperately trying to imagine Chey small enough for that to fit around her.

Rooting through the most miniscule items of clothing he had ever seen Mercedes pulled out a couple of tiny hand knitted hats that looked like doll's clothing. "I made these for Chey when she was in NICU. I had plenty of time to learn how to knit while I was there every day. She wore them when she was in her incubator to protect her head and help regulate her body temperature. I think Holly might like them for Jack." She fingered the tiny cream colored hats gently until Sam finally took one from her and examined it himself.

"This is so tiny!" he exclaimed quietly.

"You saw Jack. It doesn't have to be very big to fit him. He's the weight now that Chey was finally allowed to go home at."

He looked at her carefully. "It must have been hard."

"It wasn't easy. But I had my mom and I got through it."

_But not without scars._

"Can I look?" Sam indicated towards the piles of photographs and Mercedes nodded. Taking a few he quickly flicked through them. They were of Chey, but she was tinier than the one in the book that she had given him. In many of the pictures she was wearing the hats that Mercedes was currently holding in her hand. Her head looked huge compared to the rest of her body and there was a cannula in her nose to help her breathe. "When you said today at the hospital that she had been there for over five weeks… I had no idea."

"You wouldn't. I didn't tell you. But she's had no ill effects."

"I know. But… but you had to do this all on your own."

"I told you. I had mom."

"That's not what I meant."

They both knew that's not what he meant. He hadn't been there. She was a girl, having a baby on her own, believing at such a crucial time, that the father had wanted nothing to do with her. "I know I've said it before, but I really am sorry."

"I know Sam. We can't change the past. It all turned out okay in the end and that's the important thing."

"I guess it is." He sensed that she didn't really want to continue that line of conversation so he left it alone and looked at more of the pictures while Mercedes pulled out what looked like a scrap book.

"What's that?"

"It's a diary I kept. The nurses said it would be good to keep a diary along with all the pictures to monitor her progress and landmarks because it would help me to see the progression in her improvement. And they were right. It did help. It gave me an outlet and reading back I was able to see that she was picking up, even if my eyes couldn't see a difference. I would write about my day, what I was thinking and feeling, the nurses I met, the things I spoke to Chey about and the songs I sang to her. She liked it when I sang. It made her calm and slowed her heart rate. I wrote about the things we would do as she grew up and the places we'd travel to and the things we would see." She smiled to herself as she flicked through some of the pages. "I even wrote about us going to Disney one day. Look!"

As she pushed the book closer to Sam the back page flapped open and a photograph fluttered to the floor. Sam wouldn't have paid any attention if it wasn't for the shocked expression that suddenly crossed her face. She quickly bent to pick the picture and placed it face down on the seat the other side of her.

But not before Sam had seen that it was a picture of a good looking teenage boy with light blond hair wearing a Letterman jacket. He hadn't thought much about the story of her and Riley but to suddenly see a picture of someone who quite clearly had to be him, stashed away with her earliest Chey memories did hurt.

Before he could think more of it she was collecting the items back into the box and changing the subject. "Sam, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"It's about Moe." His eyebrow arched and he tried to fight back his sudden nerves. Had she somehow found out about his involvement into the investigation of his affairs? It had all been handled very covertly by Rutherford and the fact that her friend had quickly got wind of it and come to her with the information was nothing short of an amazing coincidence.

He looked at her and tried to keep his expression as innocent as possible. "Sure. You know you can always talk to me. Is everything okay? Is he treating you alright? Is he taking you on another exclusive date?" It was a struggle not to smile as he pretended not to know that all was not well in that particular camp. Quinn had told Puck who had told him!

"I'm not seeing Moe anymore."

"Oh really?" Externally Sam arched an eyebrow in surprise but inside he was moonwalking and turning cartwheels. _Wow that worked quick! He was going to have to give Rutherford a bonus! _"That seems… sudden. Did something happen? Did he do something to you?"

"Yes and no." Mercedes looked at her hands. "He hasn't done anything to me as such, but I found something out… some information which made me think I don't really want to be involved with him in any way so I've cut my ties."

"Okay…" He was curious to know why she felt she needed to share this with him but knew he had to wait for her to speak rather than ask too many questions.

"It's to do with money" she finally said. "No, that sounds wrong. I mean, you know the other night when you thought I was upset, well, it was more that I was in a state of shock. My friend George, you know, the one that was here that night, he works with Moe and says that he's currently under investigation for financial irregularities."

"Financial irregularities? Do you think he might be in some sort of trouble? Are you worried about him? Is that it?" Internally Sam was awarding himself an Oscar for his performance and preparing his acceptance speech.

She played with her hands again. "I think he might _be _some sort of trouble."

"So you think there's some truth in it?"

"I don't know for sure, but as soon as I heard, enough alarm bells went off with me to want to get the hell away from him."

"So you guys are over then?"

She nodded.

"I'm sorry" he said, gravely.

She shook her head. "I'm not. I mean, I wasn't telling you because I thought you needed to know, I mean you do need to know but, I was worried about how it might affect you."

He was surprised. "Affect me?"

"If he is dodgy and he gets connected to me and I get connected to you… I mean it could hurt your business couldn't it?"

"I doubt it. We never did any business with him. I only met him here for those few brief minutes. We have no connections and I don't even know what the hell his business was anyway. As for you guys, you said you'd only been on a couple of dates do I doubt you'd get caught up in any investigation." Sam didn't mention that he had already checked that out and there was nothing that had caused any suspicion on Mercedes. If there was, he would squash it before it got to her anyway.

Mercedes heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. Because I was worried."

"For me? That's sweet." He shot her a cheeky grin.

"No, seriously. I don't want to do anything that could hurt your family. You've all done so much for me. If I end up under investigation…"

"You won't be."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Have you accepted money from him?"

"No."

"Expensive gifts?"

"No. Quinn asked me the same questions."

"That's because they're the logical ones. You haven't done anything but let him pay for a couple of straightforward meals. I'm sure the things they are investigating involves amounts far greater than the cost of a meal or a couple of coffees."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so. Don't worry about it Mercedes. I'm not. But like I said, I'm glad that you felt you could come to me about it. That says a lot and I really appreciate it."

"I like that we can talk, Sam."

"So do I." He tried to think of a slightly more flirty response but failed and just stuck with the honest truth. Besides, this wasn't exactly the day for flirtation and banter.

A sudden yawn interrupted his thoughts and Mercedes looked horrified. "I'm so sorry! I'm keeping you up! You must be exhausted! How many hours til your flight?"

He checked his watch. "Not nearly enough. There's a car coming for me at 4am but with the flight and time difference I still won't be back until tomorrow evening and will have to hold the meeting in the airport lounge."

"I'm sorry Sam."

"Why? It's my job. It's what I do."

"Fair enough. We should go to bed then."

"Yeah, we should."

She had to have caught his cheeky smile because she suddenly looked away embarrassed. So much for no flirting. As they reached the top of the stairs she paused. "I guess I should say goodbye now because you're leaving so early."

"I guess so."

The awkward was back with a vengeance but Sam took the bull by the horns and went for the hug anyway, squeezing her tight and reveling in the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest. "I'm going to miss this, you know" he muttered into her neck.

"We'll still be here when you get back." Very gently she pushed him back and disentangled herself from the embrace. He wanted to be angry but he couldn't when he knew if they had stayed the way they were any longer, she would have felt his arousal and he might not have been able to keep fighting the strong urge he already had to crush his lips onto hers.

_Soon. But not yet._

_Dammit! There was no point trying to get her to fall into his arms when he was in a whole other country. But there was plenty of time to plan exactly what he was going to do when he got back._

"I'll see you at Christmas." She looked sad, almost slightly tearful at the thought and he felt the same.

"Kiss Chey for me."

"I'll smother her in kisses for you."

Neither of them slept that night. Not when there was only one room and a few meters separating them.

For Sam, he mused on how far Mercedes had come not just with the dramatic beginnings of Chey's life, but also with their own relationship. Mercedes has sought him out to talk to. To have a serious conversation about something that had bothered her. Sure she had done it before about Kirsten but this time it was different. This time she was thinking of him. She was concerned about him and his reputation. It clearly mattered a lot to her. The fact that he was actually one step ahead of her in all this was beside the point. It didn't matter that he was the one protecting her rather than vice versa. She had sought him out. And yet again they had been able to communicate like adults. When they talked, and he meant _really talked _he was always amazed by how compatible they actually were. How they both found it easy to listen and respect the opinion of the other. Kirsten had had the irritating habit of rolling her eye when he sometimes spoke to her, making him feel that he was dealing with a petulant teenager rather than a peer. But Mercedes, whenever she spoke it was with logic and reason. Even at the beginning of their getting to know each other, when she seemed to be fighting him at every turn, there were still always logical and valid arguments behind what she was saying. And he respected that as well as the fact that she could intellectually challenge him.

But there was one thing that had concerned him, a threat greater than Moe. How had he forgotten just how much of an impact Riley had had in her life? At a time when she had been going through so much, he, years later, was still at the forefront of her mind as evidenced by the photograph in the book. Did she still think of him now? Because Sam had come and taken over his place as father to Chey. Now she had a real man in her life there was no room for a memory of one. Maybe she was finally over the grief and had closure.

He hoped so. The picture was in a box that had not been opened for a very long time, and Sam hoped that it would stay in there.

Two rooms down, Mercedes was also wide awake. She could still feel the firmness of Sam's body as he had held her tight. It had been years since a man had held her like that. Years since someone had been reluctant to let her go. It had been the hardest thing for her to disentangle herself from that hold. She could have stayed in his arms forever, but why feed a fantasy? That Sam was fond of her, she didn't doubt, that he cared, yes she knew that too. But as for romantic feelings, she needed to be careful about those. It was wrong of her to go and start projecting what she was starting to feel onto him.

Sure on occasion he would flirt with her, and the whole 'we should go to bed' moment was a prime example of that, but there was a difference between flirting with someone because they're there and being serious. And she doubted Sam Evans was being serious. They got on well and they sometimes flirted, but that was no reason for her to go out and buy a damn wedding dress! He'd taken the news of her breakup well, almost too well, but then, judging by the kind of vibes that Moe had given, the two had not particularly hit it off well so it was to be expected. She just hoped that he wouldn't continuously try to cockblock if she wanted to see someone. Because tempting as it might be, she would never do that to him.

And the other reason she couldn't sleep? Her nipples were like pebbles! The moment Sam had pulled her close and pressed her against him, her body had rebelled and her nipples had hardened. If she hadn't pulled away there was a good chance that he might have felt them through his clothing seeing as she wasn't wearing a padded bra, and that shit would be impossible to explain away and blame on the cold. Sam was giving her feelings that she hadn't had since a certain night oh so long ago. And the fact that the last time she had these feelings, they were caused by exactly the same person, didn't help at all!

By the time it was four she was still wide awake. She heard Sam leave his room and come out into the hallway. He went to Chey's room first and she thought it was sweet that he wanted a final goodbye. But then he had stopped outside her room. For a moment she thought she heard the sound of him touching the handle and she literally held her breath but nothing happened. After a few moments he moved and went downstairs to wait for the car.

As soon she heard the front door shut she leaped out of bed and ran into his room so that she could discreetly watch his departure from his window. After throwing his carryon into the trunk he suddenly turned and looked up directly at the window where she stood. He couldn't possibly have known she was there. He thought she was still asleep right? There was no way he could see her because she was standing way to the side rather than directly behind the curtain.

She waited until the car pulled out of the drive and disappeared from sight before checking on Chey and returning to bed.

* * *

It wasn't until later that morning when she was on her way back to the hospital to see Holly with the freshly hand washed baby hats that she remembered the one thing that she was supposed to do the day before. And ironically it involved Sam. Pulling out her phone she quickly sent him a text, knowing he would get it when he touched down. For everything he had done for her, the least she could do was to let him make her dream come true and help others at the same time.

The text was short and to the point.

**I will sing for you.**

* * *

_**Because the next chapter time jumps to Christmas I just wanted to clarify that the babies are okay and perfectly normal. Ben, Jack, Holly and Stevie all go home together three days later after a dramatic improvement in Jack's jaundice.**_


	25. Tis The Season

The weeks passed slowly for Sam. In his head, Michael Buble's song Home was playing on a constant loop. London, Paris, Rome… None of them were where he wanted to be right now if Mercedes and Chey weren't there with him. He seriously contemplated asking them to fly out and join him for a few days but he knew that his intensive work schedule meant that even if they were it would be no use because he was pulling 12 hour days that left him with very little time for anything other than promotional events. Chey would be in bed when he left and in bed when he got back. Suddenly his life priorities were different.

Other than the promotional events he didn't even have the spare time to visit the beautiful places that he was working in. He resolved that one day he would be back to Europe with Mercedes, to see the romantic side of things.

The promotional events and guest hosting did hold some perks though. Some of the lonely evenings were broken up with visits to the opera in Paris, fashion shows in Italy and even the latest Iron Man premiere in London.

But even all of that couldn't quite quell that feeling of emptiness he had when he returned to his hotel room at night. It was like going back to his apartment but more claustrophobic. Mercedes was a constant feature in his thoughts. Whenever he got mad about how hard he was working he would stop and think about who he was working for and who he was doing this for. Once he was done with all of this he would spend more time with his family. Stevie had already said that now that the babies were here he would stick more strictly to his working hours to ensure that he didn't miss too much and Sam understood that. They already had the people that they could delegate to. They just needed to actually do it.

The thought of the babies always brought a smile to his face. He made sure that he spoke to either Stevie or Holly on a virtually daily basis. The boys were home and they were doing fine. Other than the fact that they didn't like to sleep, or let their parents sleep for that matter, they were doing well. For the first couple of weeks they had hired a nurse to help out with the babies, allowing Holly to get some much needed rest after the traumatic beginning, but she was such a hands on mother that Stevie wondered if it was even necessary. Holly had taken to motherhood like a fish to water but still insisted the nurse had been essential was because she just didn't have enough hands and she appreciated having someone with her to show her the ropes. She also raved about the support she had been given by Mercedes and Sam felt so proud to have introduced them and reveled in hearing of their friendship.

Living out of a suitcase didn't suit Sam. For all his wanting to travel in his younger days, he now found that he was craving stability. Meeting and entertaining endless streams of new people was exhausting and just a few minutes talking with Stevie or Chey grounded him. Even Mercedes was being less elusive. She would now stay for a few minutes when she logged Chey on to Skype and he loved hearing her version of events that he had previously already heard from Holly. It made him feel less far away. And as far as he was concerned, Christmas Eve could not come fast enough but it was bittersweet. Unlike at home, the day after Christmas was also a holiday in Britain, but due to deadlines and time constraints everyone in his office was still going to come in and work. He appreciated their sacrifice and as someone who 'lead from the top' felt that he should also be there with them. The problem being, unlike the short drives they had to see their families for the holiday, he had a transatlantic flight! He solved the problem by taking Christmas Eve off instead. It was already a half day and would at least allow him to wake up on Christmas morning already there. Travel in London was a nightmare on Christmas day due to transport in the city closing down but he'd timed his flights to leave New York Christmas evening and arrive back early Boxing Day ready for work. It meant only one night and two days with his family but it was so close to the end of the trip that it was better than nothing.

And it just wasn't coming fast enough. Skype kisses from Chey were not the same as the real thing and seeing Mercedes through the screen was not the same as inhaling her physical presence and that familiar struggle his fingers had not to reach out and just touch her and stroke her soft skin gently.

Sam shook his head before gently resting it on his desk.

This was so much harder than he had ever thought it would be.

* * *

The weeks passed significantly faster for Mercedes. Now that she wasn't working she had more time to spend with Holly and the babies who were beyond adorable. Somehow she had forgotten how small babies could be and was always stunned when it came to picking them up for cuddles. Even at a couple of weeks old they were already displaying signs of distinct personalities. Ben was chilled and content while Jack was more alert and vocal. It was as if he constantly felt the need to remind everyone in the room that he was there with his cute adorable cooing. Only when he was lying with his brother did he stay quiet and content and she hoped the two would continue with their bond as they grew.

Holly was turning out to be a great mother. All her time resting during her pregnancy had been spent reading up and preparing, but nothing quite prepares you for the reality and Mercedes was glad that she wasn't too proud to ask for advice and help. The two of them would spend hours sitting and chatting over the babies.

Due to Holly's pregnancy fears she had refused to have a baby shower, so she had opted to have a baby introduction party instead. The media announcement of the births, once the babies were both healthy and home went smoothly, and the Evans' were inundated with well-wishers. Many of Holly's friends had only had telephone conversations with her in recent months as she had been so tired in late pregnancy so it was the perfect opportunity for her to have some girlie time and she happily allowed Mercedes to arrange it all which she happily did. After arranging for a team of beauticians to come and pamper Holly with a new mother massage, facial, manicure, pedicure and hair styling she was nearly ready for her tea party.

As the guests had arrived and with gifts and donations, Mercedes noticed she still hadn't come down. Eventually padding up to her room, she found Holly looking both gorgeous and tearful sitting at her vanity unit.

Mercedes immediately flung her arms around her. "What's wrong?"

Holly shook her head. "Nothing."

"It's not nothing! You can tell me."

She sniffed. "I feel stupid. It really is nothing."

"Holly, I know you're not a cry-baby. Something's upset you. Is there anything I can do?"

Again she shook her head and stood, smoothing her teal dress over her belly. "I still look pregnant! All my friends are downstairs looking gorgeous and I'm looking like I'm still carrying a third baby that hasn't been born yet!"

"Don't be crazy! It's normal for your body to take a while to adjust back. You already knew that you wouldn't be able to fit straight back into your old clothes."

"I know. But now I wish I didn't have so much of that stupid halloumi cheese! It was never supposed to be this bad. If I hadn't gone into labor early I would have had my pre-booked c-section and they were going to do a tummy tuck while they were down there!"

"Oh Holly!" She squeezed her friend tighter while forcing herself to hide her chuckle in her friends shoulder. "You're just mommy shaped now, that's all. Stevie loves you exactly as you are. We all do. And you more than anyone know those little boys of yours are more than worth a few stretch marks and a little bit of belly fat!"

She sniffed and dabbed at her eye, trying not to dislodge her makeup. "I know. I guess I just have a few pregnancy hormones left which are messing with me."

"It's fine. You've gone through a lot of change and you're still adjusting. Don't sweat this stuff, its normal."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Mercedes helped her to stand and smoothed out a kink in the side of the dress. "Besides, if you really _really_ do want to get back into shape, I know a really hot personal trainer that I can recommend. He totally makes it worth getting up in the mornings!"

Holly laughed. "Yeah I'm sure Stevie would _not _definitely go for that!"

Mercedes was relieved to see the smile back. "Let him be as jealous as he likes. But for now, enjoy being able to hide behind your pregnancy belly. There's red velvet cupcakes downstairs with your name on them which nobody will frown at you for eating so we need to get down there before they all vanish – and when I say vanish, I mean before Chey eats them and spends the rest of the night complaining of tumnmy ache. That's one part you've still got to look forward to!"

Mercedes enjoyed meeting Holly's friends. She could clearly see that the older woman was careful with those she kept around her and it resulted in a lovely bunch of women and an enjoyable afternoon. Those with children brought them along too and Mercedes had hired an entertainer so that they along with Chey could all play together and have a good time too.

Holly introduced her as Mercedes and gave no further explanation but and she was glad that none of them were nosing into her business. Clearly Chey's resemblance to Sam wasn't too apparent to them either and they all settled down to a lovely afternoon. Surprisingly, the boys decided that was the afternoon they were going to sleep like angels and allow themselves to be passed around and cooed over without fuss before opening their eyes at the end and generating another wave of gushing.

Tea was drunk, cakes were eaten and despite the fact that they had expressly been told that there were to be no gifts as this technically was not a shower, there still ended up being many personal packages to be opened. The proximity to Christmas together with the fact that Holly already had more than enough baby items had caused Mercedes to suggest that instead of gifts, guests make early donations to the Evans Foundation ahead of the January gala. Most still came with small personal gifts but all also came with checks, and when they left Mercedes realized that they had collected nearly $35,000 in one afternoon alone. It hadn't occurred to her how wealthy Holly's friends were. Rich people always knew other rich people.

Holly was stunned. "Mercedes, that was such a brilliant idea. We raised so much today! Is there any end to your talents?"

She shrugged. "It isn't a talent. It was just a suggestion. And I'm as shocked as you at how much was raised."

"No, you've good a good head on your shoulders. Stevie and Sam will be so proud of what you've done. I'm glad you're not being wasted on that job you had before. I think you can put your talents to better use."

"Well I'm going to enroll in a couple of business classes in the new year so hopefully I'll pick up some skills while I decide what I want to do with myself."

"I'm glad, it's good to see you with a purpose. Hey, have you heard from Sam?"

Mercedes frowned. "He called yesterday for Chey and we said hi. Why?"

Holly shrugged. "Nothing. Just making conversation. You know he's staying for Christmas too right."

"Yep. He told Chey it's only a couple of days because of the London New Year launch party, but come January he'll be back for good."

"You must be looking forwards to that."

Mercedes could have sworn Holly was looking at her a little strangely but decided to dismiss the thought. "Yeah well it would be nice to get back into a routine with Chey again. We're all random days of the week at the moment."

"That would be good. I spoke to him this morning and he sounds homesick." That strange look was back and Mercedes didn't know what to make of it. What was Holly trying to get from her exactly?

"Well it's not long now."

"True. But when he called he said that his New York time has been cut even shorter. He flies in on Christmas Eve and only gets to stay for a day and a half. Apparently, even though the next day is also a holiday in Britain, they're going to be working to meet deadlines and take a day off in January. But Sam also loses out with the time difference flying back."

"Can't he stay any longer?"

Holly shook her head. "The New Year Party is the culmination of everything he's been working at since he left. He needs to be on the ground there as it all happens."

"That's a shame."

"Yeah it is. So he kind of needs cheering up at the moment."

Maybe that's what Holly was pushing for. "I'll get Chey to send him a message later."

"He'd like that." Holly smiled but there was still something in her expression that made Mercedes feel like she was missing something important in what had been said.

That evening she and Chey had surprised Sam with an unscheduled Skype call. He was clearly still in his office at midnight and giving them face time via his phone but he looked so pleased to see them that she let Chey stay up an extra few minutes talking and stayed with them for the duration of the call. She could sense the sadness that Holly had hinted at in their earlier conversation and what was most surprising was how sad it made her feel too. It may have just been the screen but there was something about his eyes that made it look as if he missed her as well as Chey.

After putting Chey to bed she dismissed that thought. Okay so maybe she was now admitting to having a bit of a crush on her baby's daddy, but it would be wrong of her to start reading into things that weren't there. Sam probably had enough pathetic female followers without adding herself to the list. She was content simply to have more than her fair share of his undivided attention. But that hadn't stopped her from her bad habit of Googling Sam to see if there were any mentions of him, and other than the official Paris and Rome launches it was all quiet. It seemed the media in Europe really didn't care who he was. She'd found a picture of him in the background at the Iron Man 3 premiere in London's Leicester Square, the only thing she knew he had been looking forward to and from his facial expression with the guys he was with, they were clearly talking about something geeky. Another one she found with him in was taken at a fashion show. Actually, it wasn't technically a picture of him, but of a young designer. For some reason he had made a detour to Milan for a fashion show and was snapped in the seat next to the young pretty, shiny haired Latina looking designer as he had leaned in close and whispered something in her ear.

Mercedes tried hard to ignore the feeling in her belly. There had to be some rational explanation. Sam was allowed to travel and do things. She had no idea about him having an interest in fashion but maybe he did. Maybe that's why he had detoured to a city three hundred miles away. It's not as if she'd ever actually asked him about fashion before. For all she knew, he could have been randomly sitting next to her and had to lean in to talk because of the loud noise around them.

And yet, there was something a little _comfortable _about their body language.

No. She was just being stupid. She was just reading too much into things, like she had earlier when she had thought back over her conversation with Holly and wondered if the woman was subtly trying to get her to call Sam.

Besides, she had too much to think about. There was lunch with Quinn tomorrow as well as gifts to finish buying and wrap. She had no time to start feeling jealous of every woman who breathes the same air as Sam, just because she was starting to develop a stupid little _thing _for him. She would get over it soon and laugh at how silly and stupid she was being.

Before she knew it Christmas Eve was upon them and she and Chey were back at Stevie's house to spend the holiday. She was actually really looking forward to it. Chey had helped with the decorations and was excited to be living with the twins for a couple of days. She and Chey came straight after breakfast because the whole thing was an 'event' for Chey and because Mercedes had so much pent up nervous energy over seeing Sam again that she just needed to keep herself busy.

For Mercedes this was far worse than Thanksgiving even though it had been a shorter period of time since they had seen each other. Again she had chosen her outfit, hair and makeup with care. Not that she was trying to impress anyone or anything. It was just, well, just because…

Plus, Holly had spent the last week in a state of despair. Her aunt from Australia had taken it upon herself to invite herself over for the holidays and to meet the babies. When Mercedes had asked why this wasn't a good thing she had explained that she couldn't stand the woman. She was abrasive and thought she was an expert on everything. Not only that, she had been vocal in her disapproval of Holly's first marriage and not spoken to her for years, only to suddenly come out of the woodwork when she'd heard that Holly was marrying a multimillionaire.

"So why didn't you say no to her coming?"

"I wanted to. But she's family. Pretty much the only family I have outside of you guys."

"Well if there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that there's more to family than blood."

"It's true. And Stevie's blood family are evidence of that."

"Really? I don't know a thing about them other than the fact that that they didn't approve of their dad marrying their mom."

"Well apparently there's a lot they don't approve of. The way he tells it they're a family of complete bigots and Sam's dad had to start from scratch to get away from them. He worked so hard because he knew his success would be a slap in the face to their cliques. He broke free, not just from them, but from their community. You and I would be complete non-starters with them. They would have a problem with me for being divorced and a problem with you for being black. And a single mother. And the shape that you are. Stacey would have been okay providing she keeps her mouth shut about her man being both black and Jewish but I doubt that would ever happen because she really seems into him. She doesn't know much about the rest of the family and Stevie doesn't want to tell her because she would go crazy."

Mercedes thought about Stacey and the nurse. "I bet she would!"

And so now she was finally going to meet this aunt Maureen who Holly couldn't stand the sight of. She'd already had one tear filled call when Maureen had been lecturing her on the way to handle her babies and Mercedes had almost literally had to talk her down from a ledge on that one.

Aunt Maureen certainly looked the part, a tall broad older woman with graying hair rolled up into a bun. She'd smiled and hugged Mercedes and Chey with an effusive _g'day_. "Welcome to our home! I've heard so much about you!"

Mercedes saw Holly wince at the use of the word 'our' but decided to reserve her own judgments for now. Judgments were quickly made however, when the woman put her hand straight into Chey's hair. "Oh how cute is your little girl! I just love curls, they're so tight and springy!"

Even Chey was shooting her the stinkeye at this point and if she said anything rude Mercedes didn't feel particularly inclined to reprimand her for it. She pulled her unusually silent daughter closer and plastered a fake smile on her face, trying to avoid the exasperated 'I told you so' expression that Holly was casting her with her eyes.

"Well I suppose you want to come and see the babies! They're right this way!" She and Holly laid calming hand on each other as they began the ascent on the stairs and when Maureen bent to pick up Ben who Holly had just spent thirty minutes trying to get to sleep, Mercedes literally had to hold her back from doing physical harm. Stacey was still in bed, deeming anything before eleven 'too early' so they had no choice but to keep following.

Thankfully Maureen was addicted to soap operas and watched them online, leaving the others a little free time to vent their frustration in another room far far away from her. "Stevie says it's only til New Year but I don't think I can take it anymore. I think I'm going to have a breakdown! He's at work so he doesn't have to be stuck with her all day. Even Rosa has threatened to make her a special gift dish containing chilli which is guaranteed to leave her stuck in the bathroom for twenty-four hours. And right now I'm seriously thinking of taking her up on the offer!"

"We'll get through this, even if it means I send Chey over to talk her to death. Although I swear if she touches my child's hair one more time she will become the first woman in history to suffer death by afro pic!"

"Stevie's only working half a day and Sam will be here in time for lunch so at least we'll have distractions."

"Praise!"

"But that woman had better stay out of my way or there will be words said by the end of the holidays. I could really do without this Mercedes!"

"I know. But at least once she goes you'll hopefully not have to see her again for many years to come."

"Why can't I have a nice family like yours?"

"Mine? Have I not been warning you about my mother since you said you wanted her to come for Christmas. I've been having nightmares about it for weeks! She and Artie have no filter and haven't I already warned you that she has a crush on your husband?"

"You have, and I think it's cute."

"Not cute. The words 'cute' and 'my mom' do _not_ belong in the same sentence. It's like saying a sleeping lion is cute while poking it with a pointy stick."

"Luckily for me I'm secure enough with Stevie's love to know that he won't be leaving me to run off with your mom, however much the Evans men are fans of the women in your family."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Holly smiled sweetly and changed the subject. "Speaking of the men, they should be here soon. Let's go check on how lunch is coming along.

* * *

They were so far away from the front door that Mercedes didn't even hear Sam arrive. She'd stepped into the hallway and saw him there with his overnight bag hugging Chey.

"Hey! So you made it!"

Sam turned at the sound of her voice and shot her the widest smile ever. "Hey Mercedes. I missed you too!"

She didn't even bother to take umbrage with that statement. His arms were wide open for a hug and her legs had walked her over and straight into them before her brain had even had a chance to compute what was happening. By the time it did it was too late. She was enveloped in his arms and felt happy, warm and safe there as he squeezed her tightly and held on to her for a few seconds longer than necessary.

It felt warm. It felt good. It felt strangely… natural. Considering she usually spent a lot of time and effort avoiding physical contact with this man, she was suddenly very much enjoying the position she had found herself in and was reluctant to end the moment. Sadly the end came from someone else instead. The sound of someone softly clearing their throat brought them back to their senses and she turned to see a smiling Holly standing behind her. How long she'd been there was anyone's guess but now Mercedes was feeling embarrassed as hell. She just smiled at them indulgently before holding out her arms too Sam. "That looked like a great hug. Where's mine?"

"Coming right up!" He quickly closed the space between them in a couple of strides and swept her up in a warm embrace, swinging her around slightly.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"It's good to be able to get my arms all the way around you again! Let me enjoy the moment!"

Holly giggled at his silliness and kissed him on the cheek. He returned it before releasing her and looking around. "Where's the babies?"

"Asleep. But not for long. We'll bring them down to say hello."

"Cool. Is Stevie back yet?"

"Nope. You've beaten him."

"And the beast from the black lagoon?"

"Who cares. Probably throwing boomerangs up in her room or torturing my poor babies when they're trying to sleep. How was the flight?" Holly wiped a piece of lint off his shirt.

"I slept for most of it. And now my body is saying it's time for dinner because for me it's already evening. What's on the menu?"

"Rosa will tell you when she's had her hug."

"Sounds like a fair deal." He reached for the hand of the child who was still clinging to his leg. "Come on Annie, what do you say we go find Rosa!"

She willingly took his hand and with one final glance and smile at Mercedes he was gone.

"Well he sure looked happy to see you!"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "He was happy to see all of us."

Holly chose not to say anything in reply. Thanksgiving was enough of a revelation observing Sam and the way he responded to Mercedes. _This _was going to be ten times better!

It never ceased to amaze Mercedes just how comfortable she was with the Evans clan. Thankfully Maureen spent most of her evenings in her room online to Australia who were already on their following morning and she was following her daughter's Christmas beach cookout while grumbling about the New York weather. Stevie had let Chey choose a movie and they were all sprawled in various seats around the room watching The Incredibles. Mercedes was struggling to take her eyes off Sam who's jetlagged ass had fallen asleep in the chair with a curled up sleeping Jack on his chest. It was both the most adorable and sexiest thing she had ever seen. Even though he was asleep his large hands were gently cradling the tiny baby and she was embarrassed to say that it was doing things to her lady parts, even though she was in a room with other people. She started to wonder if it would look weird if she took a picture of the two of them, under the pretense of taking a picture of the baby. Because she knew she could stare at that image of Sam right there right now for the rest of her life.

Stacey seemed to sense where she was looking and grinned at the sight. "Aaaw, that is so cute!" Quickly whipping out her iphone she took a picture of the two of them.

"What are you looking at? Oh wow!" Holly caught on and pulled took a picture of her own.

_Well if everyone else is doing it… _Mercedes whipped out her own and took three pictures, pretending that the first two hadn't come out and completely missing the wink and the look shared by the Evans women while she was distracted.

Catching herself smiling absently at the image she quickly put the phone away and tried hard not to replace the image of Ben with one of Chey when she was that size but concentrating on the rest of the movie was difficult and it was almost a relief to have to get Chey ready for bed. She'd already been allowed to stay up for an extra hour due to the occasion, and to hopefully prevent her from waking them up at the crack of dawn to announce that it was Christmas but there was always a chance that her excitement would overrule sleep as it had been known to do before. Only time would tell.

* * *

Mercedes caught them red handed in the kitchen just before seven. Sam looked as if he had already been up for hours and Chey was sat on his lap with a small tumbler of milk and a small plate with what looked suspiciously like cookie crumbs on it. There was also some ripped wrapping paper. Just as she was about to say something he stopped her with his blinding smile.

_Dammit! How did he know just how to make her heart melt when she was supposed to be being mad at him for ruining their child's breakfast and no gift opening rule!_

"Merry Christmas mommy!" Even his voice was sounding deeper and sexier by the minute. It was quite distracting.

"Merry Christmas guys!"

Chey leaped off his lap and ran towards her. "Mommy mommy look what daddy gave me!"

The little girl held out her hand and showed her a silver locket on a slim chain. "It opens but I can't open it!"

Taking the locket she worked the mechanism which was too small for a child's clumsy fingers and spotted two pictures inside. The first was a miniaturized version of their Disney family portrait. The other was of Sam as a child. "That's daddy when he was six!" Chey announced proudly.

"It's beautiful Chey." She handed it back to her daughter with a warning. "You know you have to look after it very carefully. Daddy has given you something that is very very special. It's not a toy."

"I know. I'll put it in my special box and I won't wear it til I'm all grown up!"

"That's a good idea baby!" She looked over at Sam who was smiling at his daughter fondly. "I thought gifts were happening later and they were supposed to be novelty gifts for under thirty dollars?"

"They are. But this isn't a Christmas gift. It's a daddy gift. I saw it in an antique shop in London and thought it would be nice to give our daughter something that she can give to her daughter and pass down the line."

"Well I think that it's a lovely and exceptionally thoughtful gift and will do my best to make sure that she keeps it safe. Thank you Sam." Mercedes took a seat next to him and had a sip of milk from Chey's tumbler as Chey settled back onto her lap.

"Well isn't this cosy!" A sleepy Holly, still in her robe, walked in with a smile, carefully carrying one of the babies up against her shoulder and heading to the fridge.

"Merry Christmas Holly!" beamed Sam.

"Is it? I feel like I've barely slept. Apologies if this little monster was keeping you up in the night."

"I didn't hear a thing."

"Neither did I!"

"Well then you're damn lucky because Jack may be smaller but he definitely has bigger lungs!"

Sam looked up at her sympathetically. "There's coffee…"

She grinned. "To which I will not say no. My OBGYN says I'm allowed the occasional coffee and considering the fact that Maureen will be up in moments I need all the help I can get. Wanna hold?"

Chey hovered excitedly as Mercedes put the burp cloth onto Sam's shoulder and Holly gently handed over the baby to his uncle who proudly stroked his back. Their daughter prodded the baby's hand with her finger so until he gripped it tightly with his own tiny fingers and squealed with delight at his action.

As Holly poured her coffee she spied the silver wrapping paper. "I thought we weren't doing gifts til later?"

Mercedes found it strange that she directed the question to her but was happy to place the guilt firmly where it should lie. "That's what I said. It's your brother-in-law who decided to jump the gun. I came downstairs to find the two of them having their own little moment ahead of the rest of us, including unauthorized gifts and food!"

Feeling cornered Sam felt the need to speak up for himself. "It's Christmas! It's a day for treats! And besides, it's not a Christmas present. It's a _me_ present. The other stuff is within budget and still under the tree for later! Chey was awake when I went by and checked on her so I wanted to give it to her now."

Before she could even ask what it was Chey had approached and was holding the locket out to her. She took it and opened it carefully. "Wow Sam. This is really beautiful and thoughtful. I love the family picture. Is that the one you took at Disney?"

"Yeah well…" He had a sudden attach of bashfulness and she didn't force him to speak any further.

"It's beautiful Sam. Something I know she will always treasure." She handed it back to Chey and collected her mug. "Anyway, I'm going to take this coffee and have fifteen minutes to myself in the lounge in blissful silence while everyone else is asleep. Because I know once aunt Maureen gets up I won't have the opportunity to have another moment's peace."

"Sure. We'll keep Jack entertained for you."

It felt strange being left alone with Sam, Chey and the tiny baby, but at the same time, just like the hug the day before, it also felt strangely right.

She took a moment to absorb the sight of the relaxed Sam with a tiny baby curled over his shoulder before turning her attention back to Chey before it became obvious that her lady parts were tingling again. "Okay madam. Let's get you some proper breakfast!"

She allowed Sam to attempt to allay her fears of what was going to happen when her mother arrived and it was only after Holly had come to collect Jack and Sam had gone for a quick swim that she remembered he still hadn't told her what was said that morning in the hospital.

A few short hours later and the house was alive. There were mountains of food in the kitchen. Rosa had decided to stay for the holidays to help with the babies even though technically she wasn't working. Apparently there had been some big family bust up at Thanksgiving and she was punishing them by staying away. When Mercedes had voiced her concerns over this Holly was quick to reassure her, telling her that Rosa's family had more drama than a Spanish soap opera and she was as much family as the rest of them so it was actually a treat to have her join them. Plus the chances of her leaving by the evening to join her family because she missed this kids was also very high.

Holly had expressly not wanted outside guests for this Christmas because it would be too much stress with the new babies but Rosa didn't even count as a guest, and despite having the day 'off' still insisted on ruling the kitchen even though she did reluctantly allow them to find their own breakfasts. Maureen, despite her familial relationship did count as an outside guest. And an uninvited one at that! Dionne and Artie were the only invites because they _were_ family and had missed Thanksgiving. Plus Holly was desperate to meet the powerhouse that instilled such fear into her brother-in-law.

Dionne arrived looking stunning as usual with her slim body encased in an olive green jersey fabric pant suit that that had wide legged pants and a long sleeved cowl necked dress as a top. Her short hair was cropped even shorter with her bangs longer over her forehead and her makeup was spot on. Mercedes was reminded that she often felt like a poor imitation when her mom was all glammed up but today she knew she was looking good too and if someone was to say they looked like sisters it would be true due to Dionne's agelessness. As for Artie, he couldn't take his eyes off the woman's ass. But that was nothing unusual.

But she appeared to be in good form as she warmly greeted, kissed and congratulated Holly, thanking her profusely for the invitation before being introduced to and complimenting Stacey. Maureen chose that moment to make her appearance. One look at Dionne and her smile was as false as her nails. Even in a house this big there was no room for two strong personalities and the second they set eyes on each other they instantly polarized. It was like a physical reaction and everyone standing there felt it.

Dionne was the first to offer her hand but not to be outdone Maureen was first to speak. "Hi there. I'm Maureen visiting the babies from Oz. Good to meet you!" The words were there but the sentiment was not matched with her eyes as she took the other woman's hand.

"I'm Dionne… as in Warwick, _not_ Celine. And this is my fiancée Artie."

Maureen turned to him, addressing his stick rather than his face. "So what happened to you then?"

"It's an old injury. I got stabbed in the leg during a fight while I was in prison." Artie didn't skip a beat as he deadpanned his response and Maureen's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Wh… what were you in f- I mean how long were you in for?"

"I was let out for good behavior after serving twenty-seven years for first degree murder." He said the words with such a lack of emotion that it would have sent a chill down Mercedes' spine if it wasn't for the fact that she saw Stevie and Sam standing behind, clearly listening to the conversation and practically wetting themselves with barely contained laughter.

Taking in Maureen's now pale countenance Dionne played right along by gently smacking Artie's arm "Come on honey, you know we don't talk about that when we're in company!"

"I know Dee, but she asked…"

"Yes, and you remember what your therapist said the last time he refilled your prescription? He said you have to do to keep yourself calm. Holidays like these and meeting new people can be stressful and you remember that messy situation that happened last time..."

There was a sound from behind that sounded suspiciously like a snort and everyone turned to see Sam desperately trying to disguise his laughter as a coughing fit.

"Stevie!" Dionne practically squealed with delight at seeing her crush and headed towards him. By this point Maureen looked so faint that she excused herself to go and sit down and nobody even bothered to follow her to check if she was alright. They were too busy watching Dionne pulling Stevie into what clearly looked like an uncomfortable embrace. At least on Stevie's side. "Yep, just as I suspected." She finally released him and he took a step back casting her glance at Holly who just laughed and took it in her stride.

"Solid as a rock. You are a damn lucky woman Holly!"

"I know" she replied proudly.

"It's a good job I love my Artie otherwise I'd try my luck!"

"That's good because my Stevie already knows where his honey is."

Despite the words the smiles they were casting each other were genuine and Mercedes was thrilled to see that they were clearly going to get on.

Sam came forward first and clapped Artie on the shoulder. "I knew I was going to like you. Mercedes is always saying great stuff about you."

Artie returned the shoulder slap. "It goes both ways!"

* * *

Christmas lunch was a fun affair, mostly due to the fact that Maureen was silent and doing her best to make herself invisible. As well as clearly being afraid of Artie, who was secretly shooting her sinister looks when nobody else was looking, she had finally been put in her place once and for all by Holly. The final straw was when she had overheard she and Dionne had clashed over the babies. Dee had offered to comfort and change a screaming Ben and had just started to get the boy settled when Maureen practically snatched him from her arms claiming she knew better. Holly had finally lost it, reminding her aunt that this was _her home _which she would not be undermined in, and threatening to book her into the nearest cheap motel for the rest of her stay. When Maureen had cast a look at Stevie for sympathy as he had walked in on the tail end of her rant, knowing what his wife had already been through, he simply offered to pay for the bus fare for her to get there. She knew that one more word out of her mouth was all it would take for her to be thrown out in the cold and dared say nothing in front of them. Unfortunately, when alone in a room with Dionne and Artie she had grumbled and moaned about Rosa, who was only 'the help' joining them for dinner, the words "Hell no! You did _not _just go and say that!" had rung through the halls and she had faced the full strength of Dionne's acid tongue for use of that term too.

Straight after the meal she feigned a headache and disappeared upstairs for the rest of the day, much to everyone's relief. It meant that they could have a far better time without her. The gift giving was filled with laughter. Despite their wealth the Evans' had a rule that for Christmas they would make donations and only give each other novelty gifts within a certain budget. This year it was thirty dollars and most of the gifts given were novelty clothing, DVDs, books and toys.

After the meal, as expected, Rosa caved and went to see her family while the rest of them played traditional games in a girls vs. boys format and the girls won every time despite the boys constantly cheating. As a family that had been brought up with very little time at home and even less time as a family, these moments were cherished, and having the two little boys in their Moses basket next to them just made everything that little bit more perfect. For Holly, having her boys healthy and home for Christmas was the greatest gift in the world.

With the amount that they ate for lunch there was no need for an evening meal and even Chey was happy with just a mince pie and a glass of warm milk.

After putting her to sleep, her new collection of action figures from Sam lined up in a row together with Teddy on the bedside table where she could still see them, Mercedes and Sam returned downstairs to join the rest of the family. Chey's bedtime was always precious and instead of a story, they had simply let her talk excitedly about the happenings of the day and the gifts that she had been given. Much to her mother's disappointment, her favorite gift had been the two Action Man figures given to her by Sam. The first, with brown hair, had been given the name Hero, and was your all round general good guy. The other, with blond hair, had been named Prince Charming. But her active imagination had taken her down the Shrek route meaning he was not quite the clean cut hero of his identical looking but darker haired counterpart. The girl had a creative and active imagination and Sam loved to hear the various ideas that would flow through her mind.

By the time they returned down to Stevie's lounge everyone was already comfortably basking in the glow of the Christmas tree. The main man himself was missing but Holly was on one couch with the baby monitor next to her while Dionne and Artie were on another listening intently to Stacey who was reading out a funny text that Jake had sent her. Without even thinking they both sat together on the one remaining couch and Stacey started to read the message again from the beginning so that they could hear the part that they had missed. Suddenly Mercedes realized just how close to Sam she was sitting and how their arms were actually lightly touching so she shuffled backwards a little before bringing up her legs and crossing them underneath her, pulling a cushion onto her lap and cuddling it slightly like she did when she was at home. The mood was so much lighter without Maureen in the room and Mercedes was pretty sure that she was actually hiding herself upstairs.

At that moment Stevie came bursting into the room and snuggled up to his wife on the couch. "Look what I found!" He triumphantly held a sprig of mistletoe over their heads and puckered up for a kiss as Holly rolled her eyes.

"Where did you even find that? And why did you bring that into my home?"

"Why do you think?" He wagged his eyebrows and pushed his comically puckered lips even closer. She finally sighed and leaned forward to give him a tiny peck on the cheek. He looked at her, mouth agape. "What the hell was that?"

"A kiss!"

"Like hell it was! I'll show you a kiss!" He leaned forward and caught her up in a passionate lip lock that brought applause from Artie and Dionne, embarrassed "Eeeews" from Stacey and Sam, and an indulgent and slightly jealous smile from Mercedes. She knew that the two of them weren't big on public displays of affection. But they were with family. This wasn't exactly public.

"What do you say Dee, shall we show the kids how it's really done?" Artie had put on his deep 'sex god' voice and Mercedes looked on in horror as Stevie grinned and threw the mistletoe to Artie who expertly caught it with one hand and immediately held it over his head. "Come here darling!"

Dionne didn't need telling twice, she was all up in his face straight away. Mercedes wanted to die. Nobody needed to see their mom clearly using tongue action, and even with her hands over her eyes she could still hear the sounds their lips made…

Thinking it was finally safe she looked up, only to find she had picked entirely the wrong moment because their lips were still locked, Artie was leaning forward with his hand on her waist and Dionne was arched back. They finally ended their smooch with a loud smack and Stevie clapped while Holly whistled and mouthed the word 'damn'.

"Your turn!"

Before she even realized what was happening, Artie had tossed the sprig to Sam who caught it on reflex before reddening as it suddenly dawned on him what he had in his hand. In a state of panic he looked around the room, his eyes landing on Stacey who immediately backed away. "Eeeew. You can count me out. That would be weird!"

That only left one option.

And finally the cogs began to turn in Mercedes' brain.

Sam looked at her encouragingly. "Come on Mercedes. We should just get this over and done with!"

"Yes!" Holly cried with a smile. "The rest of us have done it so now it's your turn!"

But this was wrong! It was weird! Not only was this a forced kiss, but there were other people in the room. Hell, her _mom_ was in the damn room! Worse still, despite looking embarrassed, Sam also seemed… _up for it!_

She tried. "Well I'm just not sure we should-"

"It's a Christmas tradition" said her mom sharply, "stop being such a spoilsport!"

Mercedes couldn't work out what was worse, the prospect of kissing Sam in front of everyone or being called out by her mom in front of everyone. Reluctantly, she finally met Sam's eyes to see that he was staring at her intensely. "We can do this!" He mouthed quietly with an expression in his eyes that was slightly less settled than his voice.

She let him raise the mistletoe above their heads and tilted her head upwards slightly, closing her eyes and moving her hands behind her back, out of harms way as he brought his face towards hers. The kiss was sweet, innocent and brief. Slightly more than a peck but less than a real kiss. Barely lasting two seconds it felt like it was over before it had begun.

Mercedes opened her eyes to see Sam staring into hers with an expression she couldn't read. Neither of them noticed that they were frozen, staring at each other for a good five seconds without moving. Everyone else did though. Suddenly there was no air in the room and the silence was deafening. She had to get out and away from everyone's stares. "Ummm… Eggnog! We forgot the eggnog!" She quickly stood and backed away towards the door. "I'll just go and bring the… the eggnog!" She suddenly turned and literally fled the room.

Not knowing where to look or how to deal with the resounding silence, Sam cast his eyes on his watch and cursed. "Shit! The car will be here to pick me up soon. And… and I need to bathroom!"

"I bet you do!" Stacey smirked as she watched her brother fly out of the room and head off in the opposite direction to Mercedes.

"You owe me fifty dollars!"

Holly turned to face her husband who started grumbling and patted down his pockets, pretending to look for a wallet and side eyeing her. "I don't know how you knew. I swear I never noticed a thing! I definitely had no idea it would end up like that!" he muttered.

"I did!" Stacey's face was one huge smug grin.

Holly rolled her eyes at her clueless husband. "I've been on to Sam since Thanksgiving. Something he said made me think so I watched him and yep, he does have it pretty bad."

"How the hell did I not know any of this?" asked Dionne with her eyes narrowing.

"Because you don't see Sam. He's like an open book and he's been pining after her since Thanksgiving. I have to admit I've been trying to test the waters with Mercedes but she's pretty guarded. It wasn't until right now that I saw it written all over her face too."

Dionne thought about it carefully. Sam had brought about significant positive changes in her daughter that she couldn't deny. Neither could she deny what she had just seen with her own eyes. They were two people desperately trying to fight chemistry and failing. Plus the fact that Sam's eyes had followed her daughter all day had also not escaped her notice even though she had just put it down to the famous Carter/Jones ass.

And the prospect of more grandbabies with someone like Sam as a father was not a bad prospect at all…

Dionne picked her words carefully. "She'll run."

"I agree." Holly looked back at her thoughtfully. "But Sam's a fighter. And he's a fast runner. I think she may just have met her match."

Stevie simply shook his head. "How am I always the last one to notice these things?"

"You weren't. You brought the mistletoe."

"That was for us baby! I haven't kissed you all day! The whole passing it on thing was coincidental!"

"Well it's a damn lucky coincidence!" Artie rubbed his belly contentedly from all the food he'd eaten. "And I think you all might be on to something. From what I've seen, Sam is a nice guy, and anything that keeps their little family together is fine by me. But he's away so much. I'm not sure if that's such a good thing."

"It's nearly over" said Stevie. "The London hotel is the final launch and it's happening on New Year's Eve so he's back for good in less than two weeks."

"Just as long as he doesn't do anything to hurt my daughter…" Dionne's tone made it clear that the threat was not idle.

"Hey, we all love Mercedes. And we all love Cheyenne. If Sam ever sets a foot wrong we'll have to form a line and take it in turns to kill him and bring him back so the next person can kill him again."

That answer seemed to satisfy Dionne's lust for blood and Artie looked at the time for himself. "Actually, Sam was right, it is nearly time to go. Don't forget we have a long drive to get to my brother in the morning."

"Already?" Stacey gave the classic Evans pout. "I was just about to ask if we should stage some sort of an intervention."

Holly shook her head. "Not yet. Give them a chance to get their heads out of their own asses first. It's better if they come to the conclusion all by themselves. Right now I think it's too soon."

Mercedes chose that moment to return with a tray of drinks. "Here's the eggnog everybody! And what's too soon?"

There was an awkward silence as all conversation suddenly ended and Mercedes smiled nervously. "And where's Sam?"

"He has to leave in a few minutes and so do we." Dionne stared hard, noting the myriad of emotions passing over her daughter's face, the main one being bitter disappointment over that piece of news, and deciding that her daughter was further gone than even she herself had realized.

Artie declined the offered drink because he was driving but Dee did take one and offered him a sip.

"It's so sad that you all have to go so soon!" Holly was genuinely sad to see them go. Despite Mercedes' reservations, they had all got on well and the day had gone smoothly. Dionne's comments to Stevie had been toned down to banter for which both he and Holly were an equal match and the way her love for Artie shone through clearly showed that there was no genuine threat from her corner. They talked together for a little while longer before Sam returned with his jacket on looking sheepish.

"Um, guys, my car is already outside. I already looked in on the babies and I guess I'll see you all in the New Year!"

He said the words generally but everyone apart from the one person he was staring at noticed who it was that he was actually addressing. One by one he hugged everyone in the room and accepted the multiple Christmas and New Year greetings. Mercedes also stood, making sure she got in for the hug just before Stacey, knowing that if she was the last one it would be so much more weird. As it was, the hug was just normal and brief, same as the ones he gave to everyone else. Well, that wasn't quite true, Stevie, Holly and Stacey each had longer embraces. But that's the way it should be. She wasn't jealous. No. Not at all!

Finally Stevie walked Sam to the door while they talked business and the rest of them stayed back as Dionne and Artie got their things together to make their own exit. Mercedes surprised herself in actually feeling sad to see her mom go. She'd been secretly hoping to see her involved in some sort of a 'snatch a wig' fight with Maureen, which would have been inevitable if they'd been forced to spend much longer in each other's presence.

* * *

She knew that it was a bad habit but it was just so impossible to give up. Some nights she felt that someone should just take her internet access away from her so that she wouldn't spend hours online obsessing over what Sam Evans was doing and looking for pictures in him. How the hell had she somehow managed to turn herself into some crazy Sam Evans stan? She was the one person who actually genuinely did have access to the man and regularly communicated with him.

Besides, Sam was going to be back for good in just a two short days. She didn't need to do this. It's not like she hadn't actually been busy. She'd spoken with Stevie about her performance at the charity gala and even met a couple of times with the event director. She would be performing two songs as the opening act to the second half. Earlier that day she had even been to City Center to have a look at the stage ahead of rehearsals. These things were not put together in five minutes and she was already a last minute addition. Stevie had even taken her up to Sam's office where she met his assistant Maddie who had been nothing short of wonderful to her. She had also been liasing directly with the charity's office and speaking with a man named Kurt who spends most of his year planning the event and he had thanked her profusely and personally for her work in generating donations from Holly's baby non-shower.

But then, Sam was still always on her mind. And the launch party... Surely there would have been some pictures? She had partied the New Year away with Quinn and friends and Sam would have done the same where she was.

She'd trawled through the press shots and felt happy staring at the pictures of her crush looking relieved that things had gone so well. He was oozing charm and sophistication and suddenly looked far more like Stevie than he ever had before. It was only after she had been satisfied with her Sam Evans fix that she finally saw it in the corner of the last picture. She nearly didn't see anything at all because she'd been just about to close the browser.

She had no idea what had made her scan the faces in the crowd one more time. It was just one of many group shots taken on the stroke of midnight. Couples had gathered together to kiss on the stroke of midnight. That in itself was nothing unusual. She'd been the gooseberry when Quinn and Puck had eaten each other's faces as the New Year had rung in and had managed to successfully avoid the sleazeballs who had made it their mission to hunt down such unattached females. But what had caught her eye was a figure to the side wearing a suit that looked a lot like Sam's. Closer inspection revealed that it _was _in fact Sam, and, like the others, he was engaged in a New Year smooch of his own!

It was like someone had kicked her in the chest and she actually had to step away from the screen and pace the room for a couple of minutes.

There was no reason to be upset. This was to be expected. The mistletoe kiss had been completely platonic and PG-13 for everyone else in the room. She had played it over and over in her head and come to the same conclusion. Sure she'd had to flee into the kitchen and lean on the breakfast bar for a moment until she regained her breath and the feeling in her legs, but, just like the head touch previously, the moment itself was meaningless. _They _were meaningless. Sure Sam had been back to his usual flirty ways on his Christmas visit, but she was used to that now. They had just been playing along with a common Christmas tradition and a few jibes from Holly and Stacey were not going to change that. She and Sam were a nice idea. That's all. He came from a different world. Why on earth would he be thinking of her when he could be on another continent kissing shiny haired brunette girls-

Wait...

She sped back to the screen and zoomed closer into the picture. She couldn't be 100% sure, but the girl locking lips with Sam looked suspiciously like the one he was sat next to at the fashion show. But that was in Milan. Surely it couldn't possibly be the same person in two different countries, could it?

It was past her bed time but she knew she wasn't going to be able to get a wink of sleep until she found the fashion show picture and made a side by side comparison. Trawling back through she finally found it and seeing both pictures at the same time only confirmed her suspicion. Same girl, with Sam, in different countries! In one picture they were whispering like intimate friends and in the other they were definitely locking lips.

The next thing she needed was a name. Looking up the particular fashion show by date and scrolling through the listings she was able to narrow it down two names. And finally, after typing each name into Google and looking for images she found out for sure that it was a certain Santana Lopez, a fashion graduate who had moved to Milan in search of inspiration for her couture designs and had caught the eye of many established designers, creating a buzz all of her own. Clearly the young designer had also caught the eye of a certain businessman too. Had he flown her out from Italy to London just join him for the party? It sounded like just the kind off impulsive thing that he would actually do. After all, Milan _was_ three hundred miles from where Sam's hotel had opened in Rome. He had to have made the detour for some reason with his busy schedule!

Worse still, it's not as if she could ask anyone about this Lopez girl, because that would simply reveal her newly developed ninja picture scanning skills and make her seem like some crazy obsessed stalker! But all the headshots she had found of the girl revealed her to be extremely pretty. Of course, how on earth was Sam going to resist that?

She slammed the laptop shut. Why should she be jealous? She had no claim on him. His life was his own the same as hers was. He had dated, she had dated, where exactly was the issue? They were both adults who were free to do what they liked providing it didn't harm Chey. She really needed to get a grip and stop indulging in fantasies of things that are never going to happen.

Switching off all the lights she quickly put herself to be where she lay awake in the dark, trying hard not to think about the night when she had been more asleep than awake and allowed Sam to share her bed. The sight of him fast asleep in her bed as she left with Chey in the morning was an image that was seared into her mind. He had looked so serene and strangely beautiful as he had slept. And the worst part was knowing that even though it was her bed that he was sleeping in, he looked as if he belonged there! And then he had been so charming and sexy the next day, especially after implying that he had woken up with a certain problem…

_Stop!_

Sam would be home soon and he wanted to see Chey as soon as he got back. She knew he would be tired so she had offered to bring her to his apartment now that they had been introduced to the concierge. They she would act as if everything was normal. Because it was, wasn't it? She had no reason to be hurt. There was nothing between them. Just a silly little mistletoe kiss that may or may not be giving her fantasies of him doing other things with those lips of his…

* * *

It was a bad idea. Unfortunately that part didn't occur to her until she was already pulling in to his parking lot. Chey had been up at the crack of dawn, excited to see her father and Mercedes just hadn't known what to do with her. She had planned to go over for lunch, just in case Sam wanted a lazy morning, but Chey was literally crawling the walls so she had hit upon the idea of 'brunch' instead. Getting Chey involved in putting a basket of food together to take to Sam's helped to calm the girl a little but did nothing for the butterflies in her own stomach. _He's had a girlfriend pretty much the entire time you've known him. Why is it suddenly so weird now?_

She messaged Sam to say that they were coming over with brunch and then they set off. Passing through reception Mercedes felt an even stronger feeling of foreboding as she allowed Max to give Chey a piece of candy and reminded her that she was not to have it until _after_ she had eaten properly. Once she'd swiped the black card and the elevator had begun its ascent she felt physically sick. This was definitely a bad idea. Checking her phone for the umpteenth time and seeing no reply from Sam she figured they would just take the elevator back down and wait for a response before going back up.

Unfortunately Chey had other ideas. The doors were barely open before she shot through them.

"Chey!"

Too late! The little girl had already reached the front door and started excitedly knocking. By the time she reached her the damage was done. They couldn't turn and leave now. Hopefully he was still asleep, didn't hear the knocks and they could slink away quietly.

No such luck. As well as the sound of locks being opened from the inside, there was also the sound of singing in Spanish. In a _female_ voice. And then the door was open and they were met with a pair of curious pretty brown eyes.

"Wow! You guys are early! Sam's still asleep. But come in, I'm glad I finally get to meet you!"

Mercedes' feet felt like lead and her heart crashed through the floor as she took in the sight in front of her. Looking radiant and immaculate, despite just wearing a plain white tee shirt which barely fell to her mid-way down her toned thighs and most likely, with nothing at all underneath was the one and only…

Santana Lopez!

* * *

**_Yes I am cruel for leaving it there and no I am not sorry. I felt that the chapter was starting to ramble a bit too much and it was definitely getting too long._**

**_For those of you wanting to know what Dionne said at the hospital… I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. I don't know so I haven't written it. I'm sure there things running through your imaginations would be far better than anything I would come up with anyway._**

**_And somebody mentioned mistletoe, this kiss was going to be entirely different but that got binned and the idea of mistletoe actually went well so thanks for that!_**

**_Apologies for the rambling fluffy nature of this chapter, the next one is most definitely more action packed!_**


	26. Daddy's Home

Milan, London and now New York… Not only had Sam moved on, he'd got one of those clingy girls who was going to constantly be by his side wherever he was. _Whoopeedoo!_ Mercedes looked at the pretty young face who seemed inexplicably pleased to see her. "I'm not sure- I mean if it's a bad time we can come back…"

"Not at all. Sam's really looking forward to your visit, he was going on and on about it last night. Please come in and get comfy."

Santana's smile was wide as she stepped aside to let them in, casting an unobserved appreciative glance at Mercedes as she passed.

She led them through to Sam's spacious lounge before remembering her manners. "I am sooo sorry. I know exactly who you are but I haven't introduced myself at all." She extended her hand. "I'm Santana. But my friends call me Satan!"

Mercedes didn't know what to say to that. _If her friends called her Satan, what the hell were her enemies calling her? _"Er, I guess I'm pleased to meet you!"

"And your daughter is so cute and pretty! I can't believe someone as adorable as her could have any of Sam's genes!" She bent down to say hello to Chey and it became immediately apparent that at the very least she was most definitely not wearing a bra, and in all honesty, unless she was wearing a thong made of dental floss it was unlikely that there was anything going on downstairs either.

Worse still, she caught Mercedes looking. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, Chey beat her to the punch. "You forgot your pants!" If the statement wasn't already funny, her deadpan delivery of stating the obvious certainly was, and Mercedes probably would have cracked a smile if she wasn't feeling so… heavy chested. Everything about this woman's shape was perfect, right down to the perkiness of her breasts! Mercedes had lost perky years ago. Hell, busty curvy girls never have perky in the first place!

Instead of having the decency to look ashamed of her less than appropriate attire, she simply grinned at the child. "Of course I have! Silly Santana! I just grabbed the first thing I could when I heard the door." She looked directly at Mercedes. "Because I usually sleep _naked!"_

Mercedes swallowed loudly and averted her eyes. She really couldn't bring herself to look directly at the girl who also had awesome tanned smooth skin that went along with her toned body and sleek shiny hair. Everything that made her feel inadequate about herself. "That's okay. I have food that I need to sort out in the kitchen for brunch so you go ahead and change. We know where everything is."

"Cool!" Santana swished her hair as she turned and left and Mercedes was sure she could see the outline of her butt cheeks through the stretched fabric as she strutted away. Sometimes life just wasn't fair.

As she and Chey were taking items out of her basket she heard a sound at the front door and was surprised to see Sam walk in wearing sweats and carrying a gym bag!

"Hey Mercedes!"

Confused and stunned she could only stand still staring as Sam walked towards her with grin and an expression on his face that caused a flutter in her chest. "Now isn't this a sight for sore eyes! If you're not careful I could get _very _used to this! Now where's my cuddles?" He let out a large laugh Chey ran to him like a bullet and he lifted her up high before squeezing her tight, muffling her excited giggles. "I know I only just saw you but mommy's right, you are _definitely_ getting bigger."

"That's because I'm growing up fast!"

"I know you are. And from now on I'm going to be around all the time to watch it happen! I never want to leave you and mommy behind ever again!" He looked over to Mercedes who simply rolled her eyes at him and allowed herself to enjoy his embrace which followed just for a couple of seconds.

"Welcome home Sam."

He smiled. "It's definitely home when you guys are here in the apartment. I wasn't expecting you til later. I was going to message you to ask if you wanted to go for lunch but I've left my phone on charger in my room."

"It's okay. We brought stuff to make brunch... Because I knew there wouldn't be any fresh food in your kitchen." She paused, begrudging her next words. "And there's plenty for Santana too."

"Santana? So she's up then? Of course, that's how you got in. She's been looking forward to meeting you. It's great you've finally met."

Mercedes didn't really know what to make of that statement. "Well I'm glad that you were more upfront about me this time."

Sam frowned. "_This time?_"

Before she could reply Santana came back. She was now dressed, but as it was only in a roll necked tank and what could only be described as hotpants she was barely wearing more than what she started with. Especially as it was very obvious that she still wasn't wearing a bra! Clearly she did not feel the cold and had no concept of the fact that it was currently January. The Latina nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Sam. "How did you get there? I thought you were still sleeping?"

"No. I woke up early and hit the gym for the pool for a couple of hours. But I thought you wanted to have a lie-in?"

"I did. But I'm still running on Europe time so even with my laziness it's still early here. I still can't believe I'm back in New York. And with you! This city won't know what hit it!" She came up behind Sam and hugged him from behind, pressing herself closely up against his back and Mercedes had to avert her eyes and grip tighter onto the knife that she was currently slicing fruit with.

Noticing the action Santana leaned up towards Sam's cheek, making big eyes at him and spoke directly into his ear, making sure she was still loud enough for Mercedes to hear. "Before I forget Sam, there's a spider in the bedroom I need you to get rid of."

"Spider? But you're not sca-"

She had already taken his hand and started pulling him away. "It's a big spider. And I'm worried that it's just going to disappear. Everyone knows that the one thing worse than a big spider is a big spider that suddenly disappears!"

As she spoke she continually pulled him towards the bedrooms until they were out of earshot. Once in her room she shut the door and climbed onto the bed. "She's gorgeous Sam! Why didn't you tell me she had big huge soft _chichotas_?"

"Stop-"

She grinned. "Stop what? Tana definitely approves! They say everyone needs a bosom for a pillow but I could spend an entire day burying myself in those babies before heading south." She grabbed her own firm breasts and gave them squeeze. "Spent a fortune getting these to look good, but they would never feel as soft and warm as hers. Here, have a feel!" She pushed her chest towards him but he just stepped back.

'No!"

"Why not? Somebody else caught your eye?"

"You already know too much Santana."

She smiled smugly. "That's okay. You already know I gave up the dick when I was sixteen. Go get what you want."

'It's not that simple."

"Why? You're in love with your hot baby mama and she's got it equally bad too. You just need to slip her the leaky dick and make more of those pretty kids because the one you have already is already set to break hearts."

"She's not interested in-"

"Sam, have you even told her who I am yet?"

"I haven't had the chance yet."

"Exactly. Because the expression on her face when I opened the door told me everything. It's a good job I love you because sometimes you're so _estupido!"_

"Watch your mouth! I'm not-"

"Yes you are! The last few weeks you've been telling me how amazing she is and how you can't wait to get back so you can tell her how you feel, but you sabotage yourself at every chance."

"I don't sab-"

"Sam you had the chance to kiss her and all you did was give her a peck and run!"

"Her mom was right there! And so were my family! What was I supposed to do?"

"At least drop a damn hint! If that had been me I would have given her the kind of kiss that promised a future of lady kisses!"

"She's not into-"

"People can change their minds. Hell, she would change her mind in two seconds if she bent over forward and let me crawl up from behind, fill my hands with that glorious ass as I lick that sli-"

"Stop!"

Santana urepentantly stuck out her tongue fully and made a long slow licking motion. "You know Tana can make her cum in seconds with this talented tongue!"

Sam grabbed her by the shoulders and all but shook her. "Too far!"

She simply replied with a smirk, bringing her face close to his and making kissing noises. "Jealous much? I don't see why when you don't have any plans to do anything about it."

"I do. I'm just waiting for the right time."

"There's no such thing as the right time."

He was starting to come to that conclusion all on his own. "Maybe you're right."

"Santana's definitely right. There's such a thing as _too much_ time. She'll decide to get over what she has with you and go for a little experimentation before you get your head out of your ass long enough to actually say something. And I will be there with open arms ready to show off some of the freaky shit I learned in Europe." Sam closed his eyes and did his best not to imagine the kind of freaky shit that she could be referring to.

Santana seductively ran a delicately manicured nail down his chest. "You know I love you Sam, and you know that if the human race were dying out I would go straight for you, but I'd rather see you with someone that you're crazy about and who is crazy about you."

Those words caught his attention. "You think she's crazy about me?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "If looks could kill I would have been dead the second I opened the door to her."

Sam frowned. "Why?"

The time she let out an audible sigh and reached to gently slap him across his head. "Put yourself in her shoes. There's a guy that you _may_ like. You've shared a kiss which may or may not have been innocent but still not discussed what happened. Then the second he returns from being away for far too long you show up to his apartment excited to see him, only for the door is opened by a young hot sexy Latina wearing nothing but a smedium tee belonging to yours truly. _How do you fucking think she felt?_"

Sam was stunned for a second. _Is that what had really happened?_ "You mean she's jealous of you? I know she might feel something but is it really that strong?"

Santana dramatically threw herself back on the bed and clapped her hands over her face _"__¡Dios dame paciencia!_ You are a brilliant businessman but when it comes to romantic shit you're fucking clueless! Let me make this real easy for you... Baby daddy who you have feelings for goes away. Baby daddy comes back and _hot sexy girl_ opens the door to baby daddy's apartment wearing nothing but one of his tops and a smile."

Sam thought about it and the penny began to drop. He lay back on the bed next to her "So now you're describing yourself as hot and sexy?"

"You already know I am! Quit deflecting. You _needs_ to stop telling yourself that this might not happen and open your eyes to what's in front of you. Because she has no idea who I am and she logically thinks I'm just some floozy who's sexing you on the regular. You need to take her in hand and put her straight before you make things impossible for yourself and she tries to move on again."

Sam frowned, trying to quell the excitement that was building up inside him. "You really think she's jealous?"

She leaped rose to her feet and grabbed his hand to pull him up too. "You should have seen the way she clutched that knife as I whispered in your ear. Moma wanted to try and kill me and it would be a damned good fight. Hell, _I'd _pay to see it. We could even do it in mud..." She looked away thoughtfully as she pictured the moment before recollecting herself. "So I propose a social experiment. As I overheard her inviting me for brunch I'm going to stay for that before making my excuses to leave. During the meal I will flirt and you will watch her reactions. But by the end I want to make it clear that I don't swing your way coz I ain't messing with her too long. Bitch looks like she could put a lot of power behind a slap!"

"Hey. Who are you calling bitch?"

"Term of endearment. Especially seeing as I'm HBIC."

"HBIC?"

"Head Bitch In-" Shook her head in dismay. "Why am I even wasting my breath? And quit playing like you ain't my bitch too!"

Sam sighed. Santana was an acquired tasted but he loved her unconditionally and therefore was willing to put up with her shit, especially as he knew that underneath the harsh interior there was a heart of the purest gold. However he was also aware of how she could come across to others and had planned on their introduction being made on slightly more neutral territory.

She didn't even give him a chance to think about his plan of action. Instead she pulled him up and led him by the hand back to where Mercedes was. He didn't even realize their hands were still connected until he saw Mercedes staring before quickly looking away. He flushed, first at her response, then at the feeling her response brought on in him.

"It must have been a very hard spider to catch!" She spoke without lifting her eyes from the pot she was stirring. "It took you long enough to find it!"

"Spider?" Sam was confused until Santana nudged him and saved the day.

"It thought it could hide forever, but it eventually discovered that it could not avoid the inevitable."

Mercedes looked up at Santana sadly. "Well I hope whatever its fate, it was handled as humanely as possible."

Santana nodded. "Definitely humanely. It's been set free but has to make sure to make the right choices next time or the escape won't be such a lucky one."

"Well I think I'm gunning for the spider on this one." Mercedes muttered.

"Me too" agreed Santana. "Me too. Need a hand with anything?"

"Nope, these eggs are nearly done. Perhaps you and Sam want to set the table. I'm sure you already know your way round this place."

"Naturally. Come on Sam!" She touched his waist and guided him away from her.

Sam didn't know what to think. Here was Mercedes being polite, but with obvious strain and barbs in her words. And here was Santana being... simply being polite. That alone was enough of a concept to put the fear into him.

And things got worse as they sat down to eat. The food was amazing. Mercedes had added tomatoes, ham and seasoning to the eggs making them one of the most delicious things he had ever tasted, but he could sense that she was on edge, and even Chey was not quite her usual talkative self. The looks of disappointment that Mercedes was shooting Sam and the looks of jealousy and resentment she shot at Santana when she thought nobody was looking literally caused a pain in his chest. All this time he was thinking about his feelings, he had never once considered hers. He had assumed that even if there were moments when he could have sworn she found him attractive, he had been too mean to her early on in their rekindled relationship for her to ever feel anything more for him.

And yet here she was, clearly looking as put out about Santana as he had felt about Moe. She wasn't fooling anybody, however hard she tried, and Santana was loving every second of it working, being overly generous with the smiles and the slight touches to Sam's hand and arm as well as dropping in lots of in-jokes between her and Sam.

Furthermore, despite the obvious difficulty she was having with the situation, Mercedes was still being pleasant and friendly.

"So Santana, how did you and Sam meet?"

"Oh, we've known each other for years."

"Really?" Mercedes' eyes were wide with curiosity and Sam felt he had to say something.

"Puck and I went to college with Santana's brother Tony. We spent one crazy spring break staying at his home in Ohio."

"Oh so you know Puck too?"

Santana scoffed. "I dated Puck once."

"I wouldn't have called it dating..." Despite himself Sam was trying not to smile at the memory. "I think I would call it stalking."

Santana clarified. "Basically, the first time they ever came to the house I wanted to annoy my brother so I dressed up all sexy and flirted with Puck and he'd nearly fallen for it until he had realized I was only fourteen. Thankfully it didn't end up being a huge drama although Tony nearly pulled a gun on him at the time. But I think my brother knew I liked pussy even before I did!"

"I like pussy too! Mom says we can't get a kitten though."

Three sets of eyes landed on Chey. They had been so engrossed in Santana's words that they had forgotten that she was also at the table. To her credit, Santana did actually blush and Sam looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him. Mercedes took it all in her stride, knowing that if the kept the conversation moving Chey hopefully wouldn't even notice. "That's because kittens need lots of looking after honey. Maybe when you're a little bit older." Years of parenting had given her the ability to speak to Chey while her mind was reeling about something else. In this case it was Santana's sexuality. Had she got the girl all wrong? She turned to Sam and pretended to be unfazed. "So do you stay in touch with this Tony too?"

Sam bit his lip. "Not really."

"He made Sam promise to look after me when he went away and Sam has always looked out for me ever since."

"That's nice. Where did he go?"

She noticed too late the look that Sam shot her, telling her not to ask the question.

Santana didn't seem too bothered though. "He's doing time for his crimes. Between him and me my dad thinks we're both failiures. Tony for getting banged up so young which would never have happened if he had stayed hanging out with Sam, and me for my lifestyle choices and quitting college to pursue fashion."

"You quit college?"

"Yep. Decided to travel and look for fashion inspiration. I did eventually finish and graduate under my own steam, but dad withdrawing his support from me had done me good because I know that everything I've done so far has been on my own back. It's given me the drive to prove him wrong. He thinks that just because I'm a girl I can't be successful but we all know that's not true. Sam has been a star as he promised Tony he would be. I would never accept a penny of help from him but he has always been my number one supporter. He even flew out to Milan to see one of my fashion shows while he was working in Italy, and he's just decided to go into a contract with me to design on the Evans clothing line!"

"That's really exciting!"

"It is. I'm going to meet his lawyer tomorrow to discuss the paperwork. Not only that, after the meeting he's introducing me to Tina Cohen-Chang. It's only an introduction, after that I'm on my own and she might hate me, but she could help me get some much needed exposure. Sam here can be a total _idiota_ but he is one of the best guys I've ever met and you're really lucky to have him in your life."

"I know I am" said Mercedes quickly.

"And on that note…" Santana smiled and quickly stood, looking at her watch before turning to Sam, "Do you think it will be okay for me to get into the apartment now?"

"What time is it?"

"Nearly twelve."

"Yeah, it should be fine. I told Carl to come up so that he can help you with your bags."

Santana leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for letting me crash here last night gorgeous!" Then she turned to Mercedes. "And thanks for breakfast Mercedes. Sam does not do your cooking justice. He raves about it all the time but he should rave _more!_"

"The pleasure is all mine." For the first time she felt that her smile to Santana was genuine because she was no longer a threat. And because she realized that outside of thinking she had been a threat, she actually quite liked the younger girl.

"Cool!" Santana ran off to her room while Sam and Mercedes cleared the table, allowing Chey to sit at it and do some drawing.

"So Santana is a lesbian."

Sam watched with a smile as Mercedes said the words to herself. "Yes she is. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. _Nooooo! _It's just… don't worry. It's nothing."

He smiled. "What? Tell me!"

"This sounds stupid but I when she opened the door I thought she might have been your new girlfriend… -not that that would bother me. It's just… I'm glad to have met her and I'm glad she knew about me already."

It made Sam happy that she felt that she could admit this to him. Was she subconsciously trying to send him a message?

They had just finished drying the last dish when Chey came running in. "Look what Santana gave me!" It was a beret striped with all sorts of crazy colors. On the one hand it was a little mad on the eyes, but on the other hand it suited Chey's personality right down to the ground and she clearly loved it.

"Did you say thank you?"

"Yes she did." Santana followed her, this time looking far more appropriately dressed in jeans and an extremely warm looking asymmetric cardigan with several zips that seemed to serve no apparent purpose. "Carl is on his way up. Before I go I just want to ask Mercedes one thing."

Mercedes looked at her curiously. "Sure. Shoot."

"I was wondering if you had your dress sorted for your charity performance yet."

She shook her head. "No. I have a few things in mind but that's on my list of things to do this week."

"Well I was wondering if maybe I could design something for you? You don't have to wear it, but if you like it and you do then you would have a purpose made dress to fit your beautiful curves and I would have more exposure for my work. I'm not going to ask for an answer straight up but I'll leave you with this portfolio of some of my designs and my number and maybe we can talk about it tomorrow and just bounce around some ideas?"

Mercedes smiled warmly at her. "I'd love that. Thanks."

By the time Santana and Carl left, Sam and Mercedes were happy just to sit and digest their food while Chey drew pictured of them. Sam talked to her about the London launch and New Year party. He mentioned Santana being there and she had to feign ignorance to that fact she was already aware of that. Even the kiss that she saw online between them no longer bothered her and she began to feel stupid for reading so much into it. When it came to saying goodbye to Santana it had become clear that the woman had very little boundaries, giving Sam a full kiss on the lips despite him looking uncomfortable about it and going for the same with Mercedes. She had seen it coming and managed to deflect the kiss away from her lips but she was still unsure as to how much of the hand grazing on her ass was accidental. Sam assured her that Santana flirted with everyone, male or female, and from what she had seen in the short period of time she had no reason to disbelieve him. She didn't even mind when as she left they continued a hushed conversation with Sam right to the door. Their relationship no longer concerned her. And if her curiousity had caused her to eavesdrop, she would have found the intriguing conversation was actually all about her, with Santana calling Sam out on his lack of action.

"So when are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know yet. I don't know how."

"Simple. You open your mouth and you tell her you want all up over that sexy ass of hers. You look just the kind of guy who likes to hit it from behind."

"Santana!" Sam groaned at the mental images her statement conjured up in his mind.

She shrugged. "Just sayin'!"

"You're forgetting that if I say something too soon she'll think this is a rebound and not take me seriously."

"Hmmm. You have a point. But if you don't act like it's a rebound, she won't respond like it's one. Just set a date and stick to it." She watched him think about her suggestion. "And one not too far away. Otherwise you'll end up losing control and humping each other in the middle of lunch in front of your child."

"We wouldn't-"

"Sam, there is _that much _sexual tension between you it isn't even funny! I think you should say something to her the night of the charity performance. Believe me, when I'm finished designing for her you won't be able to keep your eyes or your hands to yourself!"

He quickly ushered her out of the door before she could sow any other ideas in his mind.

The night of the Evans Foundation performance… That could work. It would give him a couple of weeks to show her extra attention and warm her up to the idea before dropping the bombshell.

Yes, for once Santana had actually had an idea that might just work if he didn't manage to screw things up between now and then…

But right now, she was in his apartment and he was wasting time by not being right next to her.

After an hour or so Mercedes and Sam realized how long they had been just sitting and talking with each other instead of making Chey their focus. Chey herself hadn't minded, keeping herself occupied and casting happy smiles at them and it was Sam who finally motivated them to move. There was still lots of snow outside and it had been years since he'd had a good snowfight…

* * *

Yet again the time sped by for Mercedes. When she had messaged Sam to say that she would sing for him she could never have envisioned all that went with it. As well as having to visit the theatre, there were song rehearsals and choreography to work through. Yes, choreography! Her six minute slot meant that she would be singing two songs, one of which she had opted to make a medely. As the first act of the second half of the performance her job was to get the audience warmed back up for the artists to follow and she would be given everything she needed to do so. This meant that not only would she be singing on stage, she would also be having professional backing! Having that option also reflected heavily on her song choices which she kept as a heavily guarded secret, even from Sam.

Then aside from the rehearsals, there were the dress fittings. Santana was taking her outfit seriously and had a multitude of suggestions on how to make it work for her performance. Mercedes found that she had a lot of respect for Santana. Her outwardly abrasive manner contained a soft center and she was a tireless worker. As well as her clothing work she seemed to constantly be having extended meetings with Sam's lawyer to discuss the details of them working together. Santana even knew when to tone down her crazy talk and use of Spanglish when necessary. The whole rough around the edges thing was a front, considering her semi wealthy upbringing, but she was genuinely a down to earth person and was comfortable in any type of company without losing herself.

Sam had put Santana in touch with Tina Cohen-Chang who had decided that she loved her work. As a well known clothes horse and style icon, Tina all eyes would be on her, and she was currently riding on a crest of publicity due to her reality show based on the modelling agency she had just opened and the release of her autobiography which had all but killed the career of her ex-husband Finn Hudson after lifting the lid on their sham of a marriage, only for stories of his misdemeanours to start piling in from multiple other sources as well. She rode the storm with dignity, saying she only wanted to speak out for other women who had suffered in silence but refused to do any mudslinging. Instead, she directed attention to the fact that she was getting on with her life and has started a new reality show based around the models in her recently started high profile modeling agency which emphasized diversity in beauty, encouraging different sizes, ethnicities and disabilities who found it hard to find mainstream work.

After meeting and talking with Santana for just a few moments, the two of women had discovered that they were so alike in their tastes and manner of dealing with people that she wanted not only her own dress to be made and designed by Santana, but also all those of the models that were currently featuring on her reality show who would be mingling with the audience. Luckily all the models would be wearing the same dress in order to stand out from the rest, but it was still a lot of work to do in a short period of time and Santana knew that she needed to get this right. Tina was not a woman to be crossed if things were going wrong. But on the other hand, word from her if she loved you would be a huge career boost, and as she was currently trending with the 'A' listers.

Then there were the other things that Mercedes was doing with her time. For all of her mocking Quinn for going to night school she was now doing research into various courses as she pondered over what kind of a change in career she really wanted. There was no one particular thing that she wanted to do, and was happy to keep her options open as long as she was able to do some sort of work for her self-respect, and as long as it fitted around her routine with Chey.

The other thing in the forefront of her life was Sam. For someone who had initially said that he only wanted to spend one meal a week with them, he was already consuming more and more of their time. And the thing was, she liked it. She _really _liked it. She still felt embarrassed over the way that she had initially held jealous feelings towards Santana, but Sam seemed to be around so much that she wasn't getting the chance to get over her own feelings for him. In fact, they were getting stronger day by day. And he was making the situation worse by being totally charming and attentive. Family time was quality time and she felt herself craving it. He said he was making up for the Chey time he missed while he was away but she also liked to think that maybe he was enjoying the time with her too. He certainly was showing her a lot of attention and in all honesty she was lapping it up. For now Sam Evans was all hers. It wouldn't last forever, but why the hell should she at least not enjoy it while it lasted?

"Wow! I knew from your voice that you would be beautiful but nothing prepared me for _this!_"

Mercedes turned from her dressing room mirror to see a porcelain skinned young man with bright blue eyes and dark hair gelled up into a slight quiff. She knew the voice already of course. They had been speaking on an almost daily basis for the last couple of weeks as the event approached.

"Kurt Hummel!"

"The one and only!"

She stood as he approached and he whistled appreciatively at her outfit. "Wow. Just... wow!"

She grinned. "Yep. That was the look Santana was going for."

"Well she got it down alright, you're looking absoloutely exquisite!" He held her softly as he air kissed both her cheeks. "And you smell divine! But then Sam said you would."

She frowned. "Sam?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "That man has an unhealthy obsession with the way that you smell but now I can understand why. You have to tell me what it is!"

"If it's that much of an obsession then maybe I should keep it secret. But I love your jacket too."

He stroked a couple of the silver buttons on his chest of his military style jacket. "Another Santana Lopez creation of course. I asked for it while I was still with my ex who was serving in Afghanistan. We've since broken up but I'm glad for the inspiration of the jacket."

The tailoring was exquisite and she had to admit that it did suit his slender frame perfectly. "So are you going to come out and mingle or are you planning to hide in this dressing room until it's time to go on stage?"

"I don't know anyone. Sam and Stevie are doing their press conference and Holly's checking up on the babies. I don't know if I can handle having my mom in my ear just before I do this. I know she's being positive but sometimes I need my own space."

"Fair point. But you're looking too gorgeous just to hide in here the whole time." He offered his arm. "Come with me and I'll look after you and introduce you so that you're not on your own. And if you don't like it after ten minutes you can come and hide back in here until it's time to go on stage. And besides, there's food. I know you're probably not hungry but it'll probably be helpful to nibble some sort of toast based 'hors doeuvres'. "

Knowing that Kurt would keep on insisting until she caved she eventually agreed and allowed him to lead her out into one of the open areas. The first half had been fun and geared more towards the younger children in the audience, many of whom had now gone back to their homes or hospitals. The second half was for the bigger acts and many of the large donors were coming only for the second half. There was a champagne reception in the open area where they got to mingle with many of the artists and she could see Sam with Stevie in the corner talking to some cameras, obviously explaining some of the finer details of their charity.

Kurt introduced her to a few of the people he knew and she was just starting to feel relaxed when a vaguely familiar voice called her name. Turning she saw Kirsten Kane heading towards her with a smile and a glass of champagne in hand.

"Mercedes! I'm so glad to finally meet you. Sam pointed you out earlier and made me promise to come and say hello."

_Why the hell would he do something like that?_

She took the delicate hand that was offered to her. "Um. Hi! Pleased to meet you too. I've seen your slot a few times."

"Oh, it's not much. But I've had an offer for something better so hopefully I won't be with Channel 7 much longer."

"That's good news." Mercedes was struck by just how tall Kirsten was and how pretty she was up close. She obviously had to wear more makeup for the TV cameras but close up she was actually more of a natural beauty than Mercedes had expected. No wonder Sam went for her!

"I'm sorry that I didn't get to meet you at Thanksgiving. My choosing to go partying instead was definitely a douche move, but I worried that I wouldn't fit in."

Mercedes frowned. "Why was that? Sam's family are really hospitable."

"I know that. It's just. It all seemed so domestic, but that just not who I am. Plus things with me and Sam were already pretty much dead in the water at that point. It would only have mad for unnecessary awkwardness. Besides, he was desperate to see you and your little one and I didn't want to stop you guys from having his attention."

"You deserved his attention too. And I'm sorry if it seemed I was trying to take his time away from you."

"No! Don't think that at all! I was fine. Okay so initially maybe I was a little jealous. Or even a lot jealous. But Sam, he's a good guy. And he's honest. Once he explained the situation to me when joined him in London I understood it completely. He was torn in two directions but his heart was only in one place. Now that I've had plenty of time to process it I'm all for you guys trying to make things work. It's a shame it's taken you so long to get to this place but I'm all for families sticking together, even if I am rubbish at visiting my own. But anyway, I'm just excited to hear you sing. You must be feeling pretty nervous now."

"A little. But I'm more excited and buzzed than anything else. It's always been my dream to do something like this and now it's a reality."

"I know you'll do Sam and everyone proud. Is your family here? Did your little girl come?"

"Yeah. She's with my mom."

"I bet she'd be so excited to see you on stage looking so beautiful. My main regret about Thanksgiving is not getting to meet Sam's kid. The idea of there being a miniature version of him still makes me laugh. He's such a kid himself!"

"I know. Sometimes I think the two of them together are more trouble than it's worth."

"But I bet he's good with her."

"Definitely. They're two peas in a pod."

"That's good. But he's also matured a lot recently too. I don't know what it was that triggered him wanting to spend more time with you guys, but all I can say is it's the best thing that's ever happened to him and I really care about Sam so I wanted to thank you guys for being that good thing for him."

"Wow. Thanks!" Mercedes was shocked. When she had seen Kirsten approach she would never have expected her to be so nice! They stayed talking and laughing for several minutes and by the time she turned to look for Kurt, he had long vanished, and she didn't even mind. It was only when she did a swoop of the room that she saw a familiar face lurking in the corner. She immediately broke out into a sweat, her heart immediately sank and and a wave of nausea passed over her.

_What the hell was he doing here? _Panicked swept over her before she remembered that he worked in PR and often was at events with models. But she'd clearly drawn the shortest of short straws to have Sane Tinsley here at this event. Her buzz instantly disappeared.

"Are you okay?" Kirsten was looking at her with a concerned expression and she managed to tear her eyes away from Shane and the model that he was clearly trying to chat up. Luckily it looked as if he hadn't seen her and she intended to keep it that way.

"Er… yeah. I think just need a glass of water. Let's go get a drink."

The two women made their way to the buffet table and she was just taking a sip when she heard a low whistle and Kirsten's laugh as she said "I told her you would react that way!"

Turning her head she saw Sam and Stevie. Sam's eyes were all over her. And for good reason. She's had her hair and makeup professionally done, and Santana had totally outdone herself with the dress. It was gold and floor length with a fishtail back to the skirt. The sleeves were capped and the neckline a runched plunging cowl that showed the merest hint of cleavage which was all that was needed because the way the fabric skimmed over her breasts and runched together just over her belly button gave her the perfect hourglass silhouette with her hips. She looked like some sort of a goddess.

"You can put your tongue back in your mouth now!" Stevie laughed as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "You look amazing Mercedes."

Still wary of compliments she stroked her hips nervously. "It's Santana. She's worked a miracle to design a dress to make my curves look good."

"No Mercedes." She looked at Sam who was still looking at her like she was a pool of liquid chocolate that he wanted to dive right into. "Your curves make the dress look good!"

"Amen! I would give anything just to have some hips!" Kirsten exclaimed to nobody in particular.

Sam's approach had caused others to gather round and more introductions were made. Now that she was feeling relaxed, Mercedes started to feel her hunger and decided to grab herself some nibbles, quietly excusing herself.

By the time Sam had finished his conversation he realized that Mercedes had vanished. It hadn't been long so he knew she couldn't be far, but this was one day that he had absolutely no intention of allowing her out of his sight. It took a couple of minute but he eventually found her in one of the hallways and instantly knew that something was very wrong. She was standing talking to a tall heavy set black guy. Not only was he overly in her space, her whole posture was different. She had been fine minutes ago but now something about her body language was seriously off. Instead of being poised like she usually was she seemed bent and broken, like somebody was browbeating her.

Without thinking he immediately headed towards them in the isolated section of the hallway and as he did the man's deep voice became clearer.

"-because you're stupid and you never listened to a word I said to you. And you're still fucking fat! I told you years ago you should do something about that. Who the hell is going to want someone like you? They'd have to be some sort of loser!"

"Well then I guess that makes _me_ some sort of a loser!" Sam reached Mercedes and immediately grabbed her by the waist and held her tightly against him in an almost possessive move, his thumb absently caressing her hip and waist. He could feel her shivering as she pressed up against his chest and knew that she was fighting to not cry in front of this man.

Looking up at the tall stranger he didn't even need an introduction. Just a few seconds of hearing him speak was enough to make it obvious that he was the same person who had lied, cheated and made Mercedes into a shadow of her previous self all those years ago although how the hell he had ended up here was something he was going to find out and kick a stink over. He smiled smugly at the man he had figured out to be the dickhead Shane as he continued to speak. "But then again, I'm the multimillionaire with the sexy woman in my arms so who's the loser now?"

Shane looked on at Sam in disbelief. "She just trapped you with that pregnancy. I had a lucky escape!"

"No I think you'll find Mercedes had the lucky escape from _you_ and _I_ am the one blessed with a beautiful woman and a wonderful child!"

"I know your reputation Evans. You're no different than me. We love women. But I never thought someone like you would end up with _my_ sloppy seconds. Bet she still uses the kid as an excuse for being fat when it was _years_ ago!"

Sam couldn't believe his ears. Not only had this guy been emotionally abusive to Mercedes, he was arrogant as fuck and unrepentant. He wanted to hit him, he really did, but the better man inside him chose the more appropriate option of pulling Mercedes even tighter into his grasp.

"Sloppy seconds? I think you'll find it's called Mercedes making one hell of an upgrade from _you_, not just because of my money, but because I'm someone who can see her for who she truly is, a strong woman who is beautiful both inside and out." In the distance he saw a couple of security patrols and he discreetly used his free hand to wave for their attention, out of Shane's sight, before continuing. "And not only is she the most incredible person I have ever met, she's also sexy as fuck. You might call her fat but all I see are goddess-like womanly curves and a sexy ass that clearly _you_ couldn't handle. It says a lot that you had to fool around because you were incapable of keeping a real woman satisfied. To truly reach a woman's spot and satisfy her requires both a physical _and _an emotional connection, something you're not capable of doing. Go take your limp pathetic dick and harass someone who actually gives a shit about your opinions!"

Sam knew that kind of an insult would make Sam see red and he was right. The larger man lunged at him and he knew he probably wouldn't have stood a chance but the security guys had already caught on to his arms and started to drag him away. He fought against them but they were stronger than they looked so he resorted to shouting threats to them as he was being thrown out. "You can have the stupid talentless bitch. She was shit in bed anyway!"

This time it was Mercedes holding him back from going after Shane. "He's not worth it Sam."

"I know but-"

"And this isn't over!" Shane was still shouting as they dragged him out of the door. "I don't care how rich or powerful your boyfriend is. _This isn't over!"_

Silence suddenly fell as Shane was pulled around the corner and Mercedes released a long breath and leaned and rested against the nearest wall, suddenly giddy.

Sam held on to her hand tightly as she leaned back against the wall. It was a couple of seconds before she was able to start speaking. "That stuff you said, just now-"

"I wasn't meaning to be lewd. I was just trying to speak to him in the only language that he understands."

She nodded silently, letting him know that she wasn't mad about he had said. She might be later when she was home alone and analyzing the whole confrontation, but right now, at the most inappropriate time, she was having to deal with the warm feeling between her legs that the words had generated. The fact that Sam Evans thought of her sexually even in such a dramatic context was still managing to do things to her.

But what had affected her even more than the actual words, was the sincerity with which he spoke them. Did he mean what he said about her being beautiful? She was sure she'd heard him correctly. And it wasn't his usual cheesy comment about her looking beautiful, he had actually said that she _was_ beautiful. Inside and out. That took the compliment to a whole other level! "Sam, you said I was-"

He nodded, squeezing her hand tightly with his right hand while bringing his left to touch her face lightly as he gazed into her eyes. "And I meant it Mercedes. You're special. Not only do you look fantastic, you _are _fantastic. You always give more of yourself than you allow yourself to take back. You've taken every bad experience you've had and turned it into a positive. You're kind, generous, giving and someone that I aspire to be!"

She was looking up at him now, overwhelmed and confused. "Sam? What are you going on about?"

"Look, there's something I need to say. This probably isn't the right time but..." He looked almost driven to the point of distraction but she knew it was her turn to stay quiet and listen to him.

Sam squeezed her hand tighter in a way reminiscent to the way he had done it at Unique's when he had first asked her to perform. He also looked equally as nervous. She felt nervous too, but there was something about the way his eyes were so green and sparkling that calmed her.

Sam took a deep breath before clasping his other hand over the ones they already had connected. Somehow his head slightly lowered towards hers and she tilted her head upwards slightly to keep the eye contact. The only sound was that of his heart pounding.

This was his moment.

"Mercedes... Mercedes I just wanted- no, I _need_ to tell you that I-"

"Omigod _there you are!" _The moment was broken by Kurt who had come speeding around the corner so fast that he practically skidded on the floor. "I'm sorry but you guys can't stay here chatting. Mercedes you were supposed to be backstage five minutes ago. We're 'curtains up' in fifteen..." Kurt's words faded as it suddenly dawned on him that he had clearly interrupted a 'moment'.

Sam watched as she visibly blanched at Kurt's words and put it down to a case of pre-performance nerves. "You'll be fine. I've been hearing nothing but how amazing your performance is. I'm dying to see it."

She shook her head fiercely. "I don't know..." Suddenly all of Shane's words were swimming around her head, his words from years ago telling her that she wasn't good enough and his words from today, mocking her and telling her that he had laughed when he had seen her name on the billing. How she was going to lose the Evans' vital charity money by putting investors off, and how her dress looked stupid and how the fabric used to make it up would have been put to far better use making dresses for three of the models from his PR company.

Her sense of calm had been shattered. She couldn't do this. She couldn't shame and humiliate Sam like that. He meant too much to her! Six minutes could easily be filled by one of the other professionals. Or they could just finish six minutes early. It wouldn't be that much of a big deal.

Mercedes could feel Sam staring at her from the corner of her eye and did her best to duck away from his gaze, her natural tendency towards flight suddenly coming on strongly. Just as she began to contemplate her escape she felt Sam's strong arm wrap its way around her shoulder. She didn't want it to yet somehow it was a little soothing. It was like she was in a bubble and all sound was muffled, but she vaguely heard Sam telling Kurt not to worry and that he would bring her backstage himself. It wasn't until she saw Kurt turn and leave that she came back to her senses. "No Sam! I can't go back there-" He was leading her somewhere and she didn't want to go.

"I need to show you something, please humor me just for a couple of minutes."

She wanted to, but as he led the way backstage her fear increased to the point where her feet refused to continue walking.

"Are you okay?" He had stopped walking too and was looking at her with a concerned expression. Mouth dry and unable to speak she simply shook her head, her eyes starting to well and threatening to damage the professionally applied makeup on her face. Sam was looking at her with a pained expression, as if her pain was his pain too. She expected him to say something or to pull her to keep walking, but all he did was pull her into his arms and hold her tightly against his chest, right there where they stood in the middle of the deserted corridor.

She didn't cry, she just reveled in being held by someone big and strong, someone who had stepped in to defend her when he didn't need to. Someone who had said some things that had given her hope beyond all other hope, but who right now was giving her exactly what she needed... to be held tightly so that she could absorb some of his strength for herself. She was always having to be strong and fight but she remembered what felt like a lifetime ago that he had reasoned with her that sometimes it's okay to let someone fight along with you.

She felt his chin rest gently on the top of her head. Sometimes their height difference was almost laughable but today in her designer heels the difference didn't look so extreme. Eventually she pulled away. She had to. Having her face buried in his chest had overwhelmed her senses and started to turn her on despite the fact that she was currently feeling distraught. Hugs with Sam were dangerous territory. Why did she keep forgetting that? Proximity to Sam fogged up her brain and she legitimately had things to be stressing about.

"Are you okay to walk again? I still have something to show you."

Sam was looking at her with such concern that she couldn't possibly refuse him even though he again led her, this time by the hand, towards the backstage area.

Once there they were immediately allowed through and Sam took her to the corner of the main curtain. "Every show I sneak back here," he began, "And I take a moment to look out at the crowd and think about why we do this and who this is for. I need you to think about that too, but I also need you to do something else. I need you to think back when you were young and you were full of hopes and dreams. You said you always wanted to sing in front of a massive audience. Well today is your chance. Just look at them."

Mercedes looked out from the side of the curtain and watched as the audience made their way back to their seats. She had never seen so many people, and they were all going to be watching her. _Would she be good enough?_

"Of course you're good enough. You're more that good enough." _And since when was Sam able to read her mind? _"Everything Shane said was said out of jealousy. He was threatened by your talent and the only way to keep you down was by holding you back from letting yourself shine. But today is the day that Mercedes Jones _does_ shine. I didn't get the chance to punch his lights out, much as I would have loved to, but your performance today will be a huge kick in the balls to him and haters like him."

Despite herself she had to smile at that mental image.

"And there's something else you need to see too. Look up and to your left."

When she did she saw the VIP box where Holly, Stacey, her mom, Chey, Artie, Quinn and Puck were all sat.

"They're your number one supporters. And I'm going to go and join them too. If you ever get scared or nervous or worried just look up at us and know we're here supporting you. We know you've got this. We believe in you. _I believe in you. _Mercedes don't forget how all this started. It only took me hearing a few notes of your singing to know this is something you should do and everyone out there is going to feel exactly the same way that I did as soon as you start. There isn't a word in the English language that's strong enough to describe the nth level of awesomeness that you are, but rest assured that I do know it and I feel it right here." He placed his hand over his heart. "Even if you go out there and show them just a fraction of the amazingness that I see then they'll all go crazy for you too."

Mercedes didn't know what to say. She had never heard Sam speak with such passion in his voice before. She wanted to reply but all her words were gone. She just stared up at him blankly before Kurt materialized right behind her, handed her a tumbler of water and staterd to lead her to where she needed to be. She had taken two steps before she turned back. "Wait!" Kurt froze, worried that he might lose her again, but she had simply turned back to Sam who was still staring after her.

"Thanks for the pep talk Sam, I really needed it."

He simply shrugged graciously but somehow it still wasn't enough. Turning fully she closed the distance between them, reached up and gave him a peck of a kiss. Her intention had been for it to land on his cheek but his lips most definitely joined hers. In any other scenario she would immediately start analyzing what she had just done, but she was already being led away again, and a makeup artist was already brushing powder onto her face as she moved.

She cast one final glance at Sam who stood staring at her with his hand touching his lip and she held that image in her heart.

The next few minutes were another blur. There were people rushing everywhere, telling her a million things, adjusting her ear piece and microphone and hair and dress and whatever else they could find. She tried to smile at her backup dances but they were already in their own pre-performance zones.

Then there was the sound of applause, Stevie's voice saying something, audience laughter and more applause. She and her dancers stood in their starting positions.

And then there was more applause that became thunderous as the curtain opened to expose them to the crowd. She could see everyone and no one at he the same time and whispered a silent prayer in her heart.

She should have been focused, she wanted to be focused, but that was the moment another image of Shane Tinsley came into her head.

_This isn't over!_

What the hell did he mean by that? What the hell was he planning to do?

The music began and she knew she needed to focus. She could do this. This was her moment to shine. If her old Glee club teacher could see her now he would be crying into his hair gel for focusing his efforts on the wrong student.

She thought of every underdog she would make proud by having this moment.

Then she looked up and to the left and saw all the people she loved in the VIP box. Sam had now joined them and Chey was sat on his lap, excitedly leaning forward and waving. She cast them all a smile, a small nod and felt calmness spread over her as she took a deep breath for her opening line…

* * *

**_Chichotas - Breasts_**

**_¡Dios dame paciencia – Give me strength!_**

**_Yet another chapter split in half! Sorry! It's just that as usual it was getting ridiculously long and I wanted to put something out before that horrible episode containing 'that which shall not be mentioned' goes out on air... So glad to not have to suffer through series 4! And a big shout out for the feeling of comradeship on Tumblr at the moment. I've been in ships before but can safely say that Samcedes is the most awesome and mature of them all!_**

**_Thank goodness for AU stories..._**

**_And of course Santana is a lesbian. And I think we can all remember who Sam's lawyer is..._**


	27. Sticks And Stones

**_That school shooting was the saddest news ever! My heart goes out to everyone. Even though we may not be personally affected we are all still touched._**

**_This chapter jumps POV more than I would like but I guess it's better than nothing. As Sam and Mercedes interract there's so much to fit in so I'm thinking more along the lines of following the scenes with a camera and focussing on one person depending on what they are doing. If I stick to just one POV things will overlap too much and like the Tumblr gif 'Ain't noone got time for that!' I know where I need to go but I'm struggling to get there as it is!_**

**_(will proofread later as out this evening)_**

* * *

The upbeat tone of the music allowed Mercedes to finally focus on what she was about to do. She had thought carefully about her song choices, knowing that they needed to be upbeat and rousing but she still wanted to send a message too. Ironically it had been though talking to Artie that she had finally come up with the idea of singing Motown. And the availability backing singers only made the idea that much greater. Suddenly the world of variety had opened up for her. She was singing not just for charity, but for herself, for the haters and for Sam. For the first time in her life she was being given a voice and she wanted to use it. She had been through the darkest of dark times in her life, and through them, two people had been shining beacons. The first was her mother. Not the easiest of relationships, but she would never hesitate to say that the woman had been there for her. The other was Quinn. They had been through the hardest of hard times together, including group therapy sessions, but they had come out the other side and maintained a friendship that would define them and their future forever.

She had been given a platform and she needed to sing about it. Not everybody had a perfect life but you could always get through it. So much of her life had been a dark time and if there was one thing she learned from her Glee club, it was that sometimes there was nothing you could do but sing about it. Luckily, there were songs that were still upbeat while having a message and that's why she had chosen the one that she did.

So closing her eyes and channeling Dianna Ross that's exactly what she did.

_Hey life look at me, I can see the reality  
Cause when you shook me, took me out of my world  
I woke up, suddenly I just woke up to The Happening.  
When you find that you left the future behind  
Cause when you got a tender love you don't  
Take care of, then you better beware of The Happening._

_One day you're up, then you turn around  
You find your world is tumbling down  
It happened to me and it can happen to you!_

_I was sure, I felt secure, until love took a detour  
Yeah, riding high on top of the world  
It happened, suddenly it just happened.  
I saw my dreams fall apart, when love walked away from my heart  
And when you lose that precious love you need to guide you  
Something happens inside you, The Happening._

_Now I see life for what it is  
It's not all dreams, it's not all bliss  
It happened to me and it can happen to you_

_Ooo, and then it happened  
Ooo, and then it happened  
Ooo, and then it happened  
Ooo, and then it happened._

_Is it real, is it fake, is this game of life a mistake  
Cause when I lost the love I thought was mine  
For certain, suddenly I started hurting.  
I saw the light too late, when that fickle finger of fate  
Yeah came and broke my pretty balloon  
I woke up, suddenly I just walked up to The Happening._

As the song faded out there was the sound of rapturous applause. The audience loved it. Of course they did. It was upbeat and happy even though the words were sad. It summed up perfectly the way she'd had to live her life for the past few years. Looking up to the box again she looked at Quinn who had her hand reached out towards her. She was the only one who truly understood what that moment was for. So many times Quinn had told her to stop singing depressing songs when she was at her lowest, so she had taken to singing this for the upbeat tune. It was a while before Quinn had actually listened to the lyrics and added it to her banned list. The irony of her using the moment she thought she would never have to sing a sad song would be lost on everybody but the two of them. But that didn't matter. This was Mercedes' moment and she would do with it what she damn well liked!

Then she cast her eyes to Sam and Chey and smiled. This part was for them.

She took a deep breath as the opening music for her Motown Medley began. These words had no meaning. They were just an opportunity for her to REALLY SING…

_Oooooooh…_

_Like a fool I went and stayed too long_  
_Now I'm wondering if your love's still strong_  
_Ooooh baby, here I am_  
_Signed, sealed, delivered… I'm yours!_

_In that time I went and said 'goodbye'  
Now I'm back and not ashamed to cry_  
_Oooh baby, here I am _  
_Signed, sealed, delivered… I'm yours!..._

All three turned to the right and started dancing as the music segued into the next song.

_Calling out around the world, _  
_Are you ready for a brand new beat?_  
_Summer's here and the time is right_  
_For dancing in the street!_  
_They're dancing in Chicago_  
_Down in New Orleans, In New York City_

_All we need is music, sweet music_  
_There'll be music everywhere_  
_There'll be swinging, swaying and record's playing_  
_Dancing in the street!..._

Again they all turned, this time dancing to the left as the next song was introduced. For this one they were all doing the moves.

_The moment I wake up_  
_Before I put on my makeup_  
_I say a little prayer for you_

_And while combing my hair now_  
_And wondering what dress to wear now_  
_I say a little prayer for you_

_Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart_  
_And I will love you  
forever, and ever, we'll never will part_  
_Oh how I love you, together, together  
That's how it must be…_

The next song had the hardest choreography. They were imitating the Four Tops after all!

_Now if you feel that you can't go on  
Because all of your hope is gone_  
_And your life is filled with much confusion_  
_Until happiness is just an illusion_  
_And the round around is crumbling down_  
_Reach out! Come on and reach out for me!_

_Huh! I'll be there with a love that will shelter you  
I'll be there with a love that will see you through_  
_When you feel lost and about to give up_

_Coz your best ain't good enough_  
_And you feel the world has grown cold_  
_And you're stepping out all on your own_  
_And you need a hand to hold  
Come on and reach out….  
Reach out, reach out for me!_

_Huh! I'll be there with a love that will shelter you  
I'll be there with a love that will see you through…_

For her final song she was back to Proud Mary, complete with the arm rolls, head dips, fast feet and booty shakes.

By the end she was breathless and nearly blind but the deafening applause gave her the strength to keep upright as she smiled, did a small curtsey and dashed back behind the curtain.

First to embrace her were the backing girls who congratulated her on the performance and who she thanked from the bottom of her heart for their contribution and support. Next was Kurt who swept her into his arms and gushed with delight. It was amazing but at the same time all a little too much. Using the excuse that she needed to freshen up from the sweat she had broken into while performing she managed to get Kurt to give her five minutes alone in her dressing room.

Wiping herself with a damp cloth and cooling herself down she sat down and stared hard at her reflection in the mirror, sipping slowly from her water cup.

_Mercedes Jones, you did good. Did you hear that crowd? Where were the haters now?_

But that still didn't stop her for being mad at herself. There would always be something to ruin the moment. She definitely wobbled when she first came on stage and there had been a brief moment when she thought she couldn't pull it off. And all because of one man. For years she had been building herself up. For years she had been telling herself that if she ever saw Shane Tinsley again she would stand up for herself. She was never going to allow him to browbeat her again. She would be prepared.

And then he had reappeared at the worst possible moment, when her guard was down and her mind was on other things. And instead of channeling all of her years of pent up rage and fury that she had inside of her to let out what she knew she needed to say to him, she had simply given him the sounding board he needed to make her feel worthless all over again! She was better than that, and yet, within a couple of short minutes she'd been able to undo all the years of progress she had made. If it hadn't been for Sam and-

Sam… Where on earth had all those words come from? She had no idea but wherever the source, the man really _did_ know how to use his words. Now she felt embarrassed that he had seen her so close to a total flake out! Not only that, his words had resounded with her so deeply that they had nearly made her lose control. Running back and kissing him like that... Shit! She had no idea why she did it but it had just felt right at the time. And he didn't look mad at her for it. There were definitely a heap of emotions going through his face, shock obviously being the foremost, but he had also looked at her as if he had wanted to take that little peck and make it into a proper kiss. She would have loved that. She definitely would have loved that. From the point when he had come round to say goodbye on his way to London she definitely would have been open to a kiss from him. She had tried to fight it but it just wasn't worth it. Kisses from Moe were always with eyes closed and if she was honest with herself it was probably because she was imagining it was another set of lips on hers.

As she sat alone in her dressing room she forced herself to take a few deep breaths and released them raggedly. She had done it! She had performed on stage. And it had felt better than she ever could have imagined. Her phone was face down next to her makeup and she heard it buzz a couple of times but couldn't bring herself to look at the messages. All of a sudden her head began to pound. The buzz from performing was definitely already wearing off. But she wasn't going to be left in peace. There was a tapping on her door and she knew that it had to be Kurt.

"Are you decent? Just checking you're okay. You shouldn't be alone right now."

He was still mostly behind the door and she told him to come in. Even if she wasn't properly dressed it's not as if Kurt being around would be much of an issue!

He came and sat on her vanity unit. "You were amazing. Did you hear how crazy the crowd went? And you _killed _both the Stevie Wonder and the Tina Turner!" He handed her one of the two champagne glasses that he was holding. "Let me be the first to toast to your success." He clinked his glass against hers. "To more amazing performances."

She smiled and took a sip but said nothing.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just have a headache coming on."

He looked at her sympathetically. "That's actually quite common. Maybe you should avoid the alcohol and have one of these with lots of water. He pulled out a packet of Advil and she willingly swallowed a couple before downing her champagne anyway. When he gave her a questioning look she simply grinned. "It's free champagne! There's no way I'm going to waste it!"

Kurt laughed. "I knew I was going to love you! All this free booze is killing me too. There's so much work to do in the office that I'll have to go in in the morning so I can't get my drink on too much tonight!"

"Tomorrow? I thought you would have a day off!"

"I usually do. But my assistant has gone on maternity leave and not many people have the resources to be able to volunteer their time to work for free, even if it is for charity. I'm on payroll because even though I work for the charity, I am directly employed by Stevie Evans. My wages and the rental of our offices come directly from his pocket as part of his charitable donation, but the rest of it works just like any other charity and we still rely on volunteers."

Mercedes found herself incredibly curious. "What kind of work needs doing?"

"Mostly just admin stuff although Clara really made the role her own and proactively got herself involved with supplying ideas for fundraising and contacting potential donors."

"Full time?"

He shook his head. "She already has two kids. It was usually only about twelve or fifteen hours a week. Sometimes from the office but often she would do some of her work from home."

"I can help out!" The words had come out of her mouth before she had even thought them through properly.

"_You what?_" Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"I said I can help out. At least temporarily until you find someone to fill the position."

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

"I've spent the last few years doing different types of admin work, and due to various circumstances I currently find myself 'between jobs' with time on my hands. I don't need any extra income so it would be perfect as long as I could work things around Chey."

"I can't ask that of you Mercedes."

"You didn't ask. I offered." The more she thought about it the more she really did like the idea. It may not be forever but she liked the thought of being able to contribute something, especially if there was the flexibility of doing some of the work from home.

Kurt's eyes were wide. "You would do that? Really?"

She nodded. "I owe the Evans' so much. It's the least I could do. I have the time and the skills and you've already seen that I can come up with ideas for fundraising. Besides, I like the idea of working with you. We get on. And unlike my last boss you won't be spending the entire time staring at my breasts!"

Kurt stroked his jaw and pretended to act macho, licking his lips and staring lecherously at her breasts, deepening his voice as he spoke. "I think we could come to some arrangement!" He barely got the last word out before descending into giggles.

Mercedes whacked his arm and giggled alongside him. "If I were you I would leave the ogling of my breasts to Santana!"

"Lord yes! That woman is handsy!" Kurt drained the last of his champagne. "But I have to say one thing, did you notice how much she's been hanging around Sam's lawyer Brittany?"

"Absoloutely. And I can do one better..." Mercedes lowered her voice and leaned in closer to Kurt, even though they were already alone in the room "They've been walking around together all evening and I swear at one point I saw them with locked pinkies like a pair of high schoolers!"

He grinned widely back at her. "Ooooh! Juicy! I didn't notice but now I'll be looking!"

"Please do!"

Their gossip fest was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door and both of them looked towards it to see the stage assistant peek through. "Miss Jones, there's a young man that asked if he can see you. He's not press, he's one of the doctors here with a group of the children in the audience and he says you've met before." She looked worried to interrupt but Mercedes' smile reassured her. "Of course he can come in."

Her head disappeared and was replaced with the head of Dr Karofsky, the young doctor who had looked after Chey at the hospital. He looked embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. I hope I'm not bothering you!"

"No! Not at all. It's really good to see you again!"

"And you too! How's your daughter doing?"

"She's fine. She was bouncing around the next day as if nothing had happened. But I'm really grateful for the way you looked after her." She sense Kurt edging towards her and remembered her manners. "I'm so sorry to be rude. This is Kurt who is Operations Manager for the Evans Foundation. Kurt this is Dr Karofsky. He looked after Chey in the ER when she got sick at the end of the summer."

He eagerly took Kurt's hand and they both smiled at each other. "Please, call me Dave. Dr Karofsky is only when I'm on duty."

"Good to meet you Dave."

Mercedes smiled at the two of them and wondered if it was a spark of electricity she saw flicker between them. "So Dave, I hear you came with a group of children?"

"Yeah. I usually work on a pediatric ward, but you met me on one of my rare nights doing an Emergency Room rotation. Thankfully those are few and far between because I prefer having slightly more regular hours on the ward."

"I bet the children must love you. You made quite an impression on Chey."

"I guess it's just that I love children. And in my line of work that helps more than anything. But I didn't come to talk about me, I came to say thanks for such an amazing performance and ask if you could come out and say hi to the kids that I brought with me. We can't stay until the end because some of them are too young but when I saw you on the billing I got them granted extra time."

She nodded. "Of course! Show me the way!"

He was with a group of six children ranging between the ages of nine and thirteen, two of whom were in wheelchairs with a couple of carers and a set of parents and she happily spent a few minutes chatting with the children and signing their programs. They looked at her as if she was a famous person and she felt like a fraud to be treated as such. But the children were so sweet and she couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of trials they must have already gone through in their short lives. One girl in particular struck her, a chubby little black girl called Mara who was eleven and had recently lost her eyesight due to a rare form of cancer that she had just finished treatment for.

"When I want to grow up I want to be a singer just like you!" For someone that had been through so much she was still full of smiles.

"I don't see why not! You can be anything you want to be Mara!"

"My music teacher says no. I should go for something else."

"But if it's your dream you should go for it."

She looked sad. "But I can't now. I can't see anymore so who will want me?"

"Plenty of people will. Stevie Wonder is blind and look how amazing his career has been for decades! You don't have to be able to see to produce or appreciate good music. The important thing is talent."

"My mom thinks I have talent and was going to enter me into a music competition before I got sick."

"But now you're getting better can't you still do it?"

"I missed too much school and I have nobody to sponsor me. My teacher has moved on to the next class of kids and doesn't have time for me."

"I'm so sorry honey. But I'm sure you're singing is still really good without her."

Mercedes felt Dave move to stand by her side. "Her singing is more than good. It's brilliant. She used to sing sometimes for the other kids and her voice sounds way older than her age. If you weren't so amazing I would say that in a couple of years she could give you a run for your money!"

"I'm not _that _good" Marla said shyly, tilting her head slightly.

"You are!"

Dave smiled as Mercedes took the girl's hand. "She is. And I'm going to miss her entertaining the other kids on the ward."

Mercedes pulled the girl in close. "I think I agree with the doctor honey. I'm sure you'll go far."

Marla gave a watery smile as her eyes gazed unseeing into the middle distance. "Will you help me?"

"Help you?"

"To sing like you!"

"I don't know if I can-"

"I used to have somebody come to my house to help me with my singing but after I got sick mom said I couldn't do it anymore. But I want to. Singing makes me feel better."

"Well you shouldn't stop singing if it makes you feel better!"

The girl's face lit up. "So you will?"

"I didn't say-"

"I'll ask my mom tonight! I know she'll say yes. She wanted to come today but she had to work otherwise she would have heard you sing too."

"Marla I don't think it quite works that way-"

She was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her. Turning around Mercedes saw the stage assistant looking embarrassed to be disturbing her _yet again. _"I'm really sorry to disturb you again Miss Jones, but one of the performers has requested to speak with you briefly. Are you able to come with me?"

"Um… yeah sure!"

She turned to Kurt who was giving her a wide eyed grin and mouthing the word 'exciting' before turning to Dave. "I'm really sorry to leave you like this."

"That's no problem. We've already overstayed our time extension so we need to get going anyway."

"I'll show you all out!"

Kurt was quick to offer his services and if Mercedes hadn't been so caught up in wondering which of the performers wanted to see her she would have questioned his sudden perkiness. Instead she started to follow the young woman who was frowning down at her clipboard.

"Um… Where exactly are we going?"

"Mr Hamilton requested to meet you."

"Mr Hamilton?" For the second time Mercedes' feet involuntarily stopped walking. "As in Mr _Anthony_ Hamilton?"

"The one and only."

Mercedes involuntarily let out a squeal. She had been hoping to be behind the curtain when he went out to do his performance, just to say that she had been there and been near him. But now he had asked to meet _her?_

"It's right this way."

"Yes, of course." She started walking again but this time she was on autopilot. _She was going to meet Anthony Hamilton. The man was… OMG the man was a legend to her with his sexy voice and smooth lyrics, not to mention the old school R&B sound. She had his albums on her ipod in her bag for fuck's sake!_

Before she could even get her thoughts together they were outside a door and the assistant was knocking. The sound was drowned out by the sound of men laughing inside but they clearly were heard because the door was flung open by an older black man with graying hair and extended sideburns. "Hey she came!" Extending his hand he took Mercedes'. "Hello Miss Jones. My name is Mathew and I work for Mr Anthony Hamilton. He enjoyed your performance very much and has asked if there is any possibility that you would be able to help him out with something this evening."

Mercedes turned to see the man himself sitting at his mirror. Turning to her he smiled and stood, offering his hand. "Can I say it's a real pleasure to meet you."

Mercedes took his hand and opening her mouth, let out a sound something between a squeal and a sigh.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?"

Mercedes was mortified. "Um… Uh…" Fangirling in front of the guy was never going to be a good look.

He seemed to sense her discomfort and smiled reassuringly. "Cat got your tongue?"

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah. What I meant you can call me Mercedes but I was too busy trying not to scream and fangirl like a teenager."

He laughed. "I'm getting a bit too old to have girls screaming over me now!"

_Seriously! How was she supposed to keep it together? _"It wasn't a boyband scream. It was a 'OMG I was listening to 'Back To Love' in the car on the way here kind of scream!"

Anthony fistbumped the air. "Guys! I told you this girl would know her thing!"

Now that Mercedes had found her voice shoe couldn't stop. "And congratulations on the Grammy nominations... And that other award… And your new baby!" It wasn't usual for her to have word vomit but this whole scenario was not usual.

Anthony just continued with a deep chuckle and waved for her to have a seat. "Thank you. And I need to gush and say I was initially upset that I wasn't the only one doing Stevie Wonder tonight, but you did him proud!" When he had offered her a drink and she was comfortable he got to the point. "Mercedes, I know that this is a huge ask but I've been let down by someone, and I wanted to know if you wanted the opportunity to help me out…"

…

Much as he had wanted to find her as soon as she had finished performing, Sam knew that he was obligated to stay in his seat and enjoy all the performances. That didn't stop him from sending her texts for her to read when she got back to the dressing room.

**_You were sensational x_**

**_You are a star x_**

**_You looked and sounded amazing x_**

**_I meant everything I said before x_**

Sam knew he was spamming her phone but he didn't care. He just wanted to gush. He barely even heard the rest of the performances.

Everything had been a blur after their encounter with Shane. He had never felt so much rage against another person. Hearing their story on the Disney trip had been bad enough, but seeing the bastard in the flesh as well as hearing his vile words... And if that was bad enough, witnessing the hurt and doubt he had brought out in Mercedes had been the final straw. It was a miracle that he hadn't hit him and what he had said in reply was only a fraction of what he had wanted to let out. Mercedes wasn't quite his yet but she would be soon. And he didn't need to let Shane know that detail.

But now the attack was personal. Greater than that, he now had a face for the man and would easily be able to get a full name and employer. Better still, he had gifted Rutherford and his family VIP tickets as part of a thank you for all his assistance so they would definitely be having a conversation in person.

He was enjoying the performances but with his mind racing the way that it was, he knew that he wasn't giving his full attention to them. Anthony Hamilton was currently on stage, singing something smooth and sexy that he could imagine slow dancing to with Mercedes in his arms.

_Here we are on earth together,  
It's you and I,  
God has made us fall in love, it's true,  
I've really found someone like you_

_Will it say the love you feel for me, will it say,  
That you will be by my side  
To see me through,  
Until my life is through_

_Well, in my mind, we can conquer the world,  
In love you and I, you and I, you and I_

Suddenly Sam noticed that Anthony had moved from where he was in the middle of the stage and held out his hand to someone offstage. Then his heard began to pound as Mercedes walked out back onto the stage with a smile and her hand reached out towards him. There was applause as she started to sing.

_I am glad at least in my life I found someone  
That may not be here forever to see me through,  
But I found strength in you,_

Anthony smiled, took her hand and smiled into her eyes as he sang the next lines.

_I only pray that I have shown you a brighter day,_  
_Because that's all that I am living for, you see,_  
_Don't worry what happens to me_

Sam felt his fists clenching as he watched them smile at each other as she took the chorus.

_Cause' in my mind, you will stay here always,  
In love, you and I, you and I, you and I, you and I_

They both then turned and faced the audience as they sang the final lines, their voices harmonizing together perfectly even though there was no way they could possibly have rehearsed this.

_In my mind we can conquer the world_  
_In love, you and I, you and I, you and I_

The crowd went crazy and Anthony took Mercedes hand and held it up as they both took a bow. He smiled at the audience. "When I heard this amazing voice from backstage I knew that she had to perform again tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Mercedes Jones!"

There was a second round of applause and Sam found his jealousy made it impossible for him to clap until Holly placed a hand over his still clenched fist and leaned to whisper in his ear. "You know he's the same age as me and married, right?"

No he didn't. But that knowledge helped.

A bit.

He knew that Mercedes' voice would get attention, but he hadn't banked on it being of the male kind!

Holly was openly laughing at him. "Sam, quit being jealous and calm down. He's a singer, songwriter and producer. And to top it off he's a happily family man with a new baby. She couldn't be in better hands right now."

His response was a jealous grumble.

By the time it was all over he was desperate to find her but it was not destined to be. Immediately on leaving the box he was pulled aside for more interviews and photo calls. Stevie was suffering the same fate and Holly had to leave without him because she wanted to get home to the boys.

It was an endless call of congratulations and smiles. By the time he finally worked his way to Mercedes' dressing room she had already left. Kurt had been there clearing a few things. Apparently she had a headache and wanted to take Chey home because it was already past her bedtime. Reading between the lines he knew that it was really because she didn't want to deal with all the attention her performance had generated. And he didn't blame her

Checking his phone he did have a missed call and a voicemail from her. She thanked him for the messages, for the opportunity to perform, for the pep talk and congratulating him on the success of the event, promising to talk to him the next day.

It didn't feel the same after that. He had wanted her by his side for the rest of the evening.

And yet again he had missed his opportunity to tell her how he felt.

* * *

Mercedes had just stepped out of the shower after a lazy morning in bed when she saw the message from Stevie that he was sending a car for her and she needed to pack a bag for her and Chey because they were staying with him for the next couple of days. Calling him straight back it took only moments to reveal that her worst nightmare had finally come true. What had started as a small article on MSN asking just who was the amazing unsigned artist who had sung at the Evans Foundation gala with Anthony Hamilton, had provoked comments and opinions, culminating in an 'exclusive' reveal from TMZ who had the scoop on Miss Mercy Jones.

She was just finishing the call when her phone beeped with another incoming. This time is was Quinn. "Oh my god Mercedes. How the hell did you end up spending so long dating such a complete bastard?"

"I guess you've read the article. I'm just looking it up online-"

"No! Don't!"

Her friend's response worried her even more. "I have to know what the hell is going on! Stevie just called for me to come stay at his place for a couple of days while it all blows over."

"I'm sure it's a good precaution and a really good idea. It's best that you're not at your house right now in case anyone tries to find you there. And you definitely shouldn't be alone. I was just going to say you could come stay with me. Or we could both go stay with Puck. But Stevie's is definitely the better idea. Nobody from the outside can get to you there."

"But I don't want to have to hide!"

"You're not hiding. You're just waiting out the storm. It'll blow over soon."

"So it's a storm?"

"No. That's my bad choice of words. People are fickle and the media even more so. By tomorrow this will all be forgotten and you and Sam can go back to normal."

"I hope so Quinn. I always knew this was going to happen but-"

"So take it in your stride. People wil quickly see what are the lies and what are the truth."

Mercedes sighed. "I hope so."

"Have you spoken to Sam about it yet?"

"No. I've literally only just found out."

"Well I think you guys should stay tight. But I have to say, I'm glad you guys have finally made a move but I was kind of hoping to hear it from you first. We need to have some serious conversations when this passes Mercy!"

"Wait! Who made what move?"

Before Quinn could reply she faced a double interruption. Chey had walked into her room in tears holding pointing to a grazed knee and her phone buzzed with a call on the other line. This time it was Sam.

"Quinn I have Chey and another call. Will ring you back okay?"

She wanted to answer the phone to Sam but Chey needed her first. She could always call him back.

By the time Chey was sporting a tear free smile and a Disney Band-Aid she could see that Sam had left her two messages. Not even bothering to listen to them she called him straight back.

He answered within one ring. "Mercedes, are you there yet?"

"No. I'm packing. Sam I can't believe this is really happening!"

"Mercedes, don't worry. It's not too bad. The article is with TMZ and everyone knows they don't source and research their shit properly before posting. Holly doesn't want you to be alone right now and neither do I. Besides, there is a very small possibility that they would try to find your home and try to talk to you there so it's best if you're just not around for a few days."

"I'm scared Sam!"

"Don't be! I'm here. We all are."

"What does the article say?"

"You haven't read it yet?"

"No."

"Then DON'T! It's full of shit. Clearly that Shane still holds some sort of a grudge against you. Promise me you won't read it."

"Sam I-"

"Promise me Mercedes!"

"I need to know what people are saying about-"

"NO!"

She was shocked. She couldn't believe that Sam had just shouted at her down the phone. She had every right to be upset but not him! Before she had a chance to respond she heard him sigh. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout. I just meant that it's not worth upsetting yourself over something that would have blown over in less than 48 hours. Just come and have a nice evening with Holly!"

"Sam I-"

_"Please Mercedes!_"

"Okay."

She heard him breathing deeply again. "Shit! This is my first conversation with you since your performance and I wanted to be gushing all about how wonderful you were, not having to deal with this crap."

"We always knew it was going to happen Sam."

"We did- and now that it's out we can move on with our lives."

"I guess so."

"I have to go now Mercedes because I'm driving and I need to make a quick stop but I'll talk to you at the house okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh and Mercedes, I suggest you pull Chey out of school for a bit. Just so you don't have to deal with that on top of everything."

"Sure. I'm on to it."

...

Mercedes managed to tune out Chey's chatter the driver as she went online to see what exactly was being said about her. She knew she had promised not to but Sam should have known she wouldn't be able to keep to that. It didn't take long to find. On the MSN homepage there was an article about the Foundation gala and some of the stars who had been in attendance. There was mention of an unsigned singer who had kickstarted the evening performance with a motown extravaganza and later joined Anthony Hamilton on stage. Unfortunately there was also a link at the bottom of the article to TMZ who had an 'exclusive'.

Knowing that she was going to regret the action she clicked the link and the screen was filled with an extremely unflattering picture of her when she was larger, one eye wide open and the other half closed from the flash and her mouth hanging open because she had been caught mid sentence in a conversation. The picture was old and could only have been supplied by one person. This 'source' had identified her as Sam Evan's on-off lover of several years and mother of his child. It spoke of how there had been question over the paternity of the child with her initially fingering the father as her boyfriend at the time and not Evans. It basically made her out to be a bitch and a slut who didn't even know the paternity of her child, and Sam to be a playboy who literally had 'kept her on the back burner' for several years, but was now bringing her out into the world by using his influence to start her music career so that he wouldn't be seen to be dating a nobody.

Mercedes literally had to put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from cursing in front of her child. How _dare _Shane do this to her! She had never done anything to him. He was the one who had lied, cheated and degraded her sense of self-worth. And dammit the guy moved fast. He had threatened that things were not over but she hadn't even had time to think over what the consequences of that would be. And what exactly did he have to gain by dragging her over the coals now?

Actually, she did know why. He had only felt good when he was putting her down. As long as he had the upper hand he was happy. To see her with somebody successful when he had already deemed her worthless must have really hit him where it hurt because she had done the most offensive thing possible to him. She had proved him wrong! And for someone like Shane who was 'never' wrong, it had to hurt like a bitch!

But to do it like this! Shane wasn't exactly one to play fair but he had dragged Sam into it too and done it in the most high profile way possible. It was a wonder Stevie wanted her in his home at all! Rightly he should be distancing himself from her and the drama she was bringing to his family.

Yet that wasn't even the worst of it. If the article had been derogatory of her, the comments underneath were utterly heartbreaking and sent her to a whole new level of hell. The article could not have been up long but there were already 87 of them. Okay so maybe about 15 of them were various types of spam, but the rest definitely weren't. Everyone had an opinion and none of them were good. She got it from every conceivable angle. Why would Sam want to be with somebody like her? They looked wrong together. He should have stayed with Kirsten because they 'looked good' together. He should have stayed with the actress Diana Agron because they looked like 'Barbie and Ken' (_for heaven's sake they dated briefly years ago!)_Sam was clearly going through a phase of jungle fever. Mercedes was all wrong for him. She was too fat, too dark, hell she was even too short! The dress was all wrong, her hair wasn't right and her ass was too big. She was a sellout for having a child with a man like Sam. She was a sellout for being with settling for second best in terms of a relationship. She had sold her soul to be with a rich white man. She was painting black men as being undesirable for dating out of her race. Black men went with white women because of what she was doing and she was giving black women a bad rap. Anthony Hamilton should be careful that he didn't let her ruin his own family. She was a nobody who was using Sam simply to become famous-

She had completely blocked the world out as she read through the comments and didn't even notice that the car had stopped until the door was opened by an angry looking Sam who immediately snatched the ipad from her hands. "I told you not to read this!" he growled. But the damage was already done, he could tell. She had dipped her face and scooted past him in an attempt to hide her tears and he was caught between wanting to go after her and taking Chey.

One look at the little girl's face made the decision easy. "Mommy's crying. I made her sad because I wouldn't be quiet like she asked me."

"No baby. It wasn't that!" He quickly scooped the stricken girl into his arms. "She was sad because of something she was reading."

"But reading makes me happy!"

"I know. But sometimes people don't always write nice things. Shall we go inside and find something to make mommy smile again?"

Chey nodded sadly and he carried her inside, with Carl following with their bags.

Stevie met them near the front door with a concerned expression on his face. Sam looked around the deserted hallway. "Where did she go?"

"Straight upstairs. Holly's gone after her. I think you should give them a few minutes."

Sam sighed and squeezed Chey tighter. "Come on sweetie, let's go make something to cheer mommy up!"

Chey looked thoroughly miserable. "Where did mommy go?"

"She's just upstairs getting your room ready. Rosa has made cupcakes specially for you! Shall we go find some then see the babies?"

She nodded sadly and he led her towards the kitchen.

Sam was fuming inside. He had read the article and the comments that had followed. They were coming in at a startling rate. It was everything she had feared and everything that he had reassured her would not happen. He couldn't blame her for thinking he had broken that trust, but he'd genuinely had no idea that people would be that vicious and personal. He was used to people saying crap about him in the media and brushing it off. But this was her first time and it was as horrible as she had imagined it would be. The fickleness of society meant that in just a day or so it would be old news, but until then she would be hurting and he would have to do everything in his power to lessen that hurt.

Finally settling Chey with Stevie, the twins and a DVD he made his way up to the room she used on her visits. He was just coming up to her room when Holly slipped out the door. "How's she doing?"

"Not good. She's locked herself in the bathroom. She let me in after a while but locked it again as soon as I came out. She's a mess. She should never have read all those comments."

"I'll try and speak with her."

"Good luck with that. I would have stayed longer but the babies need feeding. I'm going to call her mom. She needs all the support she can get right now."

"Good idea. I'll take it from here."

Walking over to the ensuite he tapped the door gently. "Mercedes? It's me."

There was no sound other than a slight sniffle.

"Mercedes, can I come in?"

This time there was a sigh but still no answer.

"Chey is worried about you."

"Is she okay?" Finally a response. He know she would never ignore that statement.

"She's downstairs with Stevie and the twins. She's asking for you."

"What did you tell her?"

"Nothing. We tried to tell her that you were having a sleep but she wanted to come and sleep with you. You'll have to come down eventually though. She's seen you crying and thinks it's something that's her fault."

"Oh baby-"

"It's okay. She's getting a lot of fuss downstairs and I'm sure she'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"I'm okay."

He let out a sarcastic chuckle as he sat on the floor next to the bathroom door. "Nothing says you're okay like locking yourself in the bathroom in tears."

There was another sniff. "I'm not crying."

"Yeah, and I'm not constantly checking out your ass!"

The reply was silence and he knew that she was smiling. He was too. The sense of dejavu over that little exchange hit them both like a bolt of lightning. It was where it all began. This was _how _it all decided to work with what he had. "See. Got you to smile!"

He paused again and listened to silence from the other side of the door. He wasn't going to give up on this though. "You know what's coming next, don't you?" He tapped the bottom of the door with his fingers. "There's not enough room down here to slip you a handkerchief so you're just going to have to grab a handful of that tissue and do your thing."

Still silence.

"Did you hear me Mercedes? I can't be doing with that whole sniffling business. You need to clean that nose before I come in and do it for you."

"You wouldn't!"

He could hear the smile in her voice and it made him feel relieved.

"Just try me. You have til I count to five then I'm coming in!"

Again with the silence.

"I'm serious Mercedes. One… two… three… four…"

Still nothing.

"Four and a half… Four and three quarters…"

He could have sworn he heard a muffled giggle.

"Five!" He stepped back and smashed his shoulder against the door. Not hard enough to break it down but hard enough to generate a small scream from the other side. It was impossible to suppress his laughter at her frightened response. "I didn't hear you Mercedes. You'd better blow that nose or I'll knock the door down for real. It's not as if Stevie can't afford to get the door replaced.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wanna try me?"

"Are you always this difficult?"

"I don't know Mercedes. What do you think?"

He heard a reluctant sigh and then the sound of her gently blowing her nose.

"Harder!"

"SAM!"

He laughed. "Okay. I'm just making sure that you're okay."

"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. In_every _sense of the word."

"Don't start!"

"How can I not!"

He could hear the upset returning to her voice after the progress they had made over the last few minutes. "Mercedes, what you need right now is a hug. Open the door and let me in."

"No. What you need right now is me out of your life."

"That's the last thing in the world I need or want right now and you know that!"

"Yeah, well it would probably still be for the best."

"And what would be the best for Chey?" The response was silence. "She loves me as much as I love her. Don't let her be the victim in all of this."

"All I'm bringing to you and your family is negativity. You don't need that. And to make it worse it's distracted from the good causes that you're trying to support. Nobody deserves that. Your family are all great people and you shouldn't be tainted by me and my shortcomings."

"What shortcomings? You're one of the most incredible people I've ever met. And I've brought something to show you which proves that."

Again with the silence. "What is it?"

"Nice try. I'm not going to tell you so you're just going to have to come out and see for yourself. It's pretty amazing though. I showed Chey and she loved it."

"Don't tease."

"I'm not. It's just that unless you have Superman's x-ray vision I know you won't be able to see!"

"Can I have a clue?"

Now it was his turn to pause. "As I have to go soon, just to speed things up I'll give you one." Turning on the ipad in his hands he flipped the volume to maximum and pressed the play button on the YouTube video which was ready to go.

Music filled the air and so did the voice of Anthony Hamilton. Staying seated on the floor he slid over slightly to make sure that he was not blocking the bathroom door. After a few lines Mercedes' voice rang out clear and strong. It only took a couple of seconds before he heard the lock click on the door. Without a sound she came and sat on the floor next to him, straining to see the screen. Wordlessly he slid the screen onto her lap so that she could see the performance for herself. It was amazing. She looked beautiful and the dress gave a gorgeous silhouette as she walked across the stage before standing next to Anthony. "Have you seen yourself? You sound amazing and you look stunning!"

Mercedes was shocked. It really _did _look good. That duet was perfection.

"So many people have been raving about it. It looks like the fans of Anthony Hamilton are fans of you too."

Mercedes couldn't take her eyes off what she was seeing. Anthony had told her that their duet had been sensational but seeing it for herself really brought that fact home to her.

"This time I'm giving you permission to read the comments. They're the antidote to the shit that you were reading earlier. As she began to read he slowly stood up, rubbing his knees in the process. "I'm not getting any younger!"

She laughed. "Yep. You'd better start taking your cod liver oil!"

"Quit being mean."

"Shut up. You know you love it."

He looked at her seriously. "Yeah. Actually I do." Casting an eye at his watch he sighed. "Stevie and I have a dinner tonight that we can't bail on. Are you sure you're going to be okay? You guys can stay here as long as you need. Nobody can get to you here."

Mercedes bit her lip. "Why are you always so good to me?"

Leaning forward he gently stroked her cheek and stared straight into her eyes. "You _know_ why."

Her response to that was an audible gulp.

If he wasn't about to rush off he would have kissed her there and then, but he didn't. He needed to save that for a time when one of them did not have to rush off immediately afterwards. But if he didn't have on those luscious lips sometime very soon he would completely lose his sanity!

Doing the thing that he knew was right, as opposed to the thing he wanted he slowly backed away and left Mercedes to digest the positive response to the YouTube video.

* * *

After 24 hours it became clear that aside from the TMZ article there wasn't too much online about Mercedes and for this she was thankful. Strangely, during the night the comments section on the article had been disabled so even if she wanted to she could no longer read them. This was a huge help as was being with Holly. She had called her mom who had called Quinn and for the first evening they all had dinner together at Stevie's while the men were out. They had somehow managed to avoid the question of why people were assuming that she and Sam was an item and kept the evening as exactly what Mercedes needed. Being surrounded by the women who cared for her the most built her up. It was still hard thinking about what had been said, but they were there to counteract every negative comment with a positive one. Quinn and Holly had also got on well. Initially Mercedes had worried that Quinn would be unhappy with the time that she spent with the other woman, but it became apparent that although she and Holly were 'sisters', she and Quinn would always be 'besties'. Besides, any Whovian would know that there was a lot to be said for the 'power of three'.

Dionne had also served her own brand of no bullshit comfort too, forcing Mercedes to remember that not only was she better than all the haters, she's also more than capable of slapping the crap out of anyone who tried to take away the happiness that she had spent so many years reclaiming and so blatantly deserved.

And Sam… Always doing the unexpected. There was a clip online of him being questioned about the gala with a most interesting ending:

Interviewer: And one last question, what would you say to those who insinuate your girlfriend was on the billing just because she's your girlfriend?

**Sam**: I would tell them that they're wrong. Did you _hear_ Mercedes sing?

**Interviewe**r: I did. And she was amazing.

**Sam**: Well then you've answered your own question.

**Interviewer**: And the news that you have a child?

**Sam**: Old news. Last time I checked she's been in existence for years. You're all just slow on the uptake.

**Interviewer:**It's strange to think of you as a family man.

**Sam**: I don't see why. I love my family. I always have done. Being away from them in Europe was the hardest thing in the world for me. All it's done is make me appreciate who are the most important people in my life. Theirs are the only opinions who matter. And if any of our charities can help families to have a little bit more time together during distressing times then we have achieved our goal.

**Interviewer:**Thank you for your time.

Mercedes had watched the clip over and over again. Sam easily took everything in his stride. He'd bigged up her singing and skimmed over the news of him having a child just the way that he always said he would. But the thing that struck her most was what he _didn't _say. The interviewer had outrightly referred to her as his girlfriend and he hadn't corrected him. He didn't address it at all. Not only that, he showed no surprise in his face at all at the term. It was almost as if he _expected_ it.

Why the hell would he do that?

The next day there was another article in TMZ. Tina Cohen-Chang was vocally distancing herself from a PR agency who's executives were helping detectives with their enquiries with allegations of at least one of their promoters cavorting with and giving alcohol to underage models. Somehow, TMZ had been able to get hold of exclusive pictures of Shane Tinsley in a compromising position with an eighteen year old model. Her face had been blurred out, but in one of them it was very clear that he was holding a champagne flute to her lips. The final line was the killer though. It read, 'Rather than wasting his time moaning over losing an ex to Sam Evans, he should have been paying more attention to who he was trying to 'make famous'. Rumor has it, the reason for his breakup with Miss Jones was infidelity on his side before her pregnancy making him an even bigger loser than we first thought! Looks like maybe Miss Jones traded him in for a better _model_ – almost no pun intended!' There was a far better of picture of her smiling and chatting with Kirsten with a caption about how she was classy and not bitter with Sam's exes.

Short of posting an apology, they had gone a long way to improve the way in which they were speaking about her.

By the third day there was nothing. It had all blown over. Sam had been over as much as possible but they hadn't really had the chance to talk. He kept saying they needed to but in such a big house it was easy to do. She wanted to talk. She needed to ask him why he didn't refute the comments about them being an item. And she wanted to take him to task on the fact that he was constantly shooting her looks like she was the sexiest woman alive. Coupled with the times when he had looked as if he was about to kiss her she was torn between wanting to find out what was going on between them and running away as fast as she could.

She stayed a couple more days, more to relax and have fun than anything else. The support she had received was overwhelming. Kurt had called her every day and Santana had threatened to 'cut' the haters for her. Even Anthony Hamilton had texted her personally to tell her not to worry about the shit people were saying about her and Sam. She had replied, thanking him for the message, but afraid to address the implications of her relationship with Sam.

Sam on the other hand was a man on a mission. He had already been cheated out of his opportunity. The gala was supposed to be the time that he told Mercedes how he really felt about her and it had been snatched away from him. He was having to spend time around her as friends instead of 'more than friends'. But at the same time, he had used every opportunity he had to drop less than 'friendly' hints about how he felt about her. He was being downright predatory and he knew it. He was marking his territory and leaving her in no doubt of how he felt. They had more frequent moments of flirting and he knew that she knew he was intentionally not addressing their relationship status.

The world believed them to be an item. Why tell them they're wrong when they're about to be proved right? It was only out of respect for his brother's home that he had refrained from making too hard a move, but she wouldn't be under the protection of Stevie's roof forever.

The moment Mercedes said she was going back home he was there, offering to take her and _telling _her that he would stay the first night with them just to make sure everything was okay.

It was set.

Sam smiled as his family joined him in his car and headed back to Mercedes' place. She didn't know it yet but he did. They had danced around each other long enough and he was not going to extend his deadline any further. This happens _today _even if that means literally pinning her down and forcing her to listen to him.

Once they got inside that house they weren't leaving it again until he had said his piece and rocked her world…

* * *

**_I sense Sam is about to pull out a little bit of ain'tshit!_**

**_Sorry to Blaine lovers but I'm not a fan of his anymore. I loved him in the Warblers but when he came to McKinley he took the limelight away from my other faves who were already there. Plus his constipated singing faces sometimes rivals Finn's and I can get petty like that. Lol! I also feel Karofsky got an unfair deal with the way his storyline was handled so I have made him nice in this in order to be deserving of Kurt, or anyone for that matter._**

**_Song credits:_**

**_The Supremes – The Happening (album version)_**

**_Stevie Wonder – Signed Sealed Delivered_**

**_Martha and the Vandellas – Dancing In The Streets_**

**_Aretha Franklin – Say A Little Prayer_**

**_The Four Tops – Reach Out (And I'll Be There)_**

**_Stevie Wonder – You And I_**


	28. How Will I Know?

**_One day I will actually post AFTER proofreading. Today is not that day._**

**_But this may just be the chapter people have been waiting for!_**

**_Sort of..._**

* * *

Mercedes wanted to believe it. She really did.

Since the night of the performance, Sam had been coming on strong. She didn't know what to think. Well, she did know what to think, but she didn't really want to hope. He was a flirt, she knew it and she accepted it, but he only seemed to be flirting with her. And since he had come back from Europe he had been amazing. They'd had plenty of family time with Chey and even a play date with Beth, Puck and Quinn. Things between them had become relaxed and like second nature.

That was all before the words that he had said to her the night of the benefit. Even those she could rationalise down to a confidence boosting pep-talk. What she couldn't do was deal with what he had_not _been saying. Anytime any interviewer had mentioned the two of them actively being in a relationship, he had not denied it. It would have been so easy to dismiss the line of reasoning and put things straight, but he hadn't. Why was that? He had nothing to gain by it. In fact, he had more to lose. The drama of people thinking they were an item would be far worse. And yet the reality had been that after the initial article there actually hadn't been much drama.

She had tried to talk to Quinn about it but she had simply shrugged. Due to her emotions it had taken her a while to realise that it was the allegations of a relationship that her friend had been alluding to when she had called minutes after Stevie. She had expected Quinn to give her a grilling at the earliest possible opportunity, but the fact that she had suddenly become tight lipped on the subject actually raised more suspicion in her eyes. Holly too had suddenly proved to be evasive on the subject even though Mercedes had suspected that the woman was sometimes dropping less than subtle hints about how Sam enjoyed spending time with her. Even Stacey had been sending her cryptic text messages from college which were making her start to rethink about what the girl had said about them all thinking of her as a sister except Sam.

And worse than all of the above were the looks he kept giving her. Actually they weren't just looks, they were stares. Ovary exploding, nipple hardening, pantie soaking stares. Whenever she looked his way he seemed to be shooting her one and sometimes she swore she could feel it from the back of her head when she was looking away from him. One time she could have sworn he even licked his lips at her too. Flirting was one thing but staring like that was something else. Sure maybe when she was all dressed up and looking fine she could understand it to a degree, but not when she was sloppily dressed at 7am with a spit rag and tiny baby curled up into her shoulder! She couldn't stand it. As soon as she caught sight of the stare it brought out her flight reflex. It felt like being hit by headlights on full beam and she was the poor rabbit trapped in said headlights.

And now here they were, playing happy families yet again. As always, Sam had been brilliant. To allay her fears he had driven past the house twice to make sure there was nobody unusual around before slipping into the garage. On their way they stopped off at a drive-thru for burgers as a treat for Chey.

She could feel him watching her again as she threw half of her burger and the remainder of her fries into the trash. She'd managed to put quite a few of them on his plate while he was eating too, complaining that her portion had been bigger than his.

He didn't say anything but she could feel the question radiating out of him and pre-empted it. "I wasn't hungry."

"You said you were earlier."

_I lied._"I thought I was. But you know how it is, sometimes you start eating then you realize that you actually weren't that hungry in the first place."

Sam shook his head. "Nope. When I'm hungry, I'm hungry, and I have to eat properly for it to go away."

"Yeah well I've had to train my appetite." She stroked her hip gently. "I still have a few more pounds to go."

She watched him eyeing her hand moving on her body with an expression that said he would rather it were_his_ hands that were doing the roaming. "No you don't."

His voice was hard and she was confused. "Huh?"

"No you don't have to lose any more pounds."

"But I'm still a way off my target weight."

"Then your target weight is wrong. Don't do it."

She frowned. "Are we looking at the same thing here?"

"I hope so. All I know is that I'm happily looking at your gorgeous self and enjoying the view." Again she felt a flush rising. "Don't let what others say get you down Mercedes."

"I'm not" she lied. "I just want to be healthy."

"You eat healthy and you spend just as much time in the gym as I do. You_are_ healthy. Don't feel that you have to be skinny too."

"That's easy for you to say."

"Maybe it is. But that make it any less true." Somehow he had moved closer without her realizing.

"Sam, don't"

'Don't what?"

"Don't keep trying to make me feel better. You don't need to."

"That's where you're wrong. I_do _need to, because despite what you say, I know that you've taken the cruel comments to heart. And I_want _to because you mean more to me than you could possibly imagine."

By this point he was close. Far too close. Right up in her personal space. And that ravenous look was back in his eyes again.

His face had moved so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek and his lips grazed the shell of her ear as he whispered "You will always look perfect to me. Never forget that" before turning and leaving her weak kneed, backed against the counter.

* * *

It wasn't the only time that day that he had managed to corner her that day. Seeing him and Chey working quietly together she decided to allow them some uninterrupted time and bake some bownies as a treat. Usually she went for cookies but today she had the time to go for something different. Cooking always relaxed her and made her think and there was something about folding together the brownie mixture that she enjoyed. Cookies were for when she was stressed, brownies were for when she was feeling content. Besides, she had a new recipe to try which had sweetened cream cheese swirled on the top to make a pretty marbled effect.

The extra time they took to prepare also gave her a legitimate excuse to be away from Sam. She wasn't hiding from him as such. It's just that being around him was destroying her sense of calm. Flirting was one thing, but caressing her ear with his lips – that just wasn't fair. She was getting more and more flustered around him but it wasn't as if she could have a conversation with him about it. There was no way on earth she would reveal her crush and make a fool of herself in front of someone like him!

Besides, she had so many other things on her mind. Suddenly her options were back. Anthony Hamilton had invited her to his studios next week. She'd never been inside a professional studio before and was still in awe of the whole thing. Singing professionally was no longer her dream, but nobody says no to Anthony Hamilton. The thought of having something done in a studio made her stomach skip with excitement. Plus he didn't seem in the least bit bothered by the fuss over Shane. He had been one of the first to assure here that it would all blow over in days. Her fears that it would have a negative effect on him were completely unfounded.

But speaking of Shane, she'd done a lot of thinking about him and had internally managed to settle a few of her demons when it came to him. She knew that she couldn't change the way that he was, but therapy had taught her that she could change the way in which the situation made her feel. She had fallen at the first hurdle by giving him a sounding board to spew his tired old foolishness, but there was no reason for her to not pick herself up and move on like she already had up until this point. Shane had been out of her life for seven years and she'd done a lot in that time. Sure she'd hit the very bottom, but after that she had clawed her way back up. Yes she had her relapses, and Sam's initial reappearance in her life had been the biggest one yet, but things had turned around completely from that, to the point when she was now the happiest she had been since bringing Chey home from hospital, before the post partum depression had fully hit. There was no way she was going to allow Shane Tinsley to have the power to destroy that. He was part of history and needed to remain there.

She had been taught to find the positive in every situation and even in this there was one. Shane had done her a favour. He had released the information that was inevitably going to come out. Sure she would have preferred for it to have happened on her terms and without the barefaced lies, but at least it was out there to a certain degree it was actually better this way. All arguments had been nailed on the head and then it was over. The reveal had been via the ripping off the band-aid method, initially painful but once it was done it will be over for good. And the best part was that in the process, it was Shane who had actually made a fool of himself and drawn attention to his own misdeeds. She knew he was a womanizer but even she had been shocked by the fact that he was playing with fire when it came to the younger models. Clearly his grasp on reality was flawed. She had moved on to become a better person but he was stuck trying to prove himself in all of the wrong ways. She was better that Shane and he deserved none of her rage and anger. If he was going to have anything from her it would be her pity. He needed to learn how to treat women and after all the fuss around him died down, no self respecting woman would want to have anything to do with him anyway. If she felt anything for him now it would be pity. He had tried to drag her down and it had backfired. It was time for him to deal with the consequences of his actions. The whole messy situation simply highlighted how pathetic he really was.

"What are you thinking about?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Sam's voice. He was stood next to the coffee machine, leaning against the side, staring at her and there was no telling how long he had been standing there. "Oh… nothing."

He stared harder with a concerned expression. "It can't be nothing, you were frowning."

Mercedes couldn't think of an excuse fast enough and ended up telling the truth. "I was thinking about Shane."

A flash of annoyance flashed across Sam's face and she immediately regretted mentioning the name. She watched as his jaw tightened. It was a very manly look but that sure as hell wasn't what she should have been thinking about right now. Why the hell did he seem to suddenly be excreting high levels of testosterone? The way his knuckles turned white as he gripped his mug belied the way that his facial expression had rapidly turned back to calm with just a hint of a frown as he struggled to keep his voice calm. "Why?" His voice was soft but the tone wasn't.

"I don't know. I guess I just feel sorry for him."

"Feel sorry? After all he put you through?" He hit the buttons on the machine slightly too hard for her liking.

"Okay, so maybe feeling sorry is putting it a bit strongly. It's just that he wasn't always that horrible to me. And the longer I think about it, the more I realize that our news had to come out somehow, whether intentionally or by accident, and by some freak of coincidence it happened to be from him. It's done now. I guess he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"It wasn't just a matter of wrong place at the wrong time Mercedes. He _exposed_ you! He wanted you to feel bad. He was belittling you before I came and would have carried on if he wasn't interrupted!"

"That was my own fault for not standing up to him like I always imagined I would if I saw him again!"

Sam's frustration started to show through. "_None_ of this is your own fault. He caught you by surprise."

"I know but-"

"But _nothing_ Mercedes. He spent so long making you feel terrible about yourself. It's not worth you now feeling terrible all over again for him. He belittled you, forced you to change who you were and kicked you while you were down. He got what he deserved!"

"But he wasn't always like that Sam! I know you think that I'm defending him but I'm just letting you know that when we first started dating things were good. He was so flattering and paid me so much attention. I'd been through a hard time and he was really supportive. It meant a lot to me at the time and I won't forget that!"

"So what changed?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he just got tired of me. Or maybe I got stronger and outgrew him."

"Maybe. But that's no excuse. You're _you_ Mercedes. If he's not secure enough in himself to see you doing well then he's not worth it." He ran his hands through his hair. "Some guys only like a woman if they fell that they need him, and if things change so that they no longer do, they'll put them down until they're back in that position. A real man wants somebody by his side. To be with him but still be a person in her own right. If he's not secure enough to be happy for you than that's his problem. Whatever issues he has with himself need to be dealt with by himself, and his insecurities are_not_ an excuse for putting you down, cheating or abusing his position of power with other women!"

She had to admit that he did have a point, but he was honestly not worth her energy and stress anymore. "I guess you're right. I'm upset but I'm no longer mad at him. It's not worth it. I know he's only getting what was coming to him I guess, other than wanting to tell him how he made me feel, I'm not really after any kind of revenge. He's no longer a significant part of my life."

Sam sighed, unable to mask the frustration that filled him whenever he even thought about his encounter with Shane. "Well that makes you a better person than me. What he said to me was personal and as far as I'm concerned, if he ever crosses my path again, I can't promise he won't come to any physical harm-"

"_Sam!_"

"I mean it Mercedes! He hurt you and I take that personally. You have much more forgiveness in your heart than I do. It's one of the things that I love about you. You always do your best to see the best in others, even when they've screwed you over…" His ears started to turn red as he took his coffee and quickly pulled a second mug, filling it with frothy heated milk for Chey and sprinkling it with chocolate powder so that she could have a drink with him. "I have a lot to learn from you." He said the final words so quietly that she barely heard them and she suspected that maybe she wasn't supposed to.

Instead her eyes followed his small but tight ass as he left the kitchen.

* * *

It was a weird but pleasant evening. Chey had wanted to play computer games and Mercedes was in no mood to refuse her. The fact that she was away from school made her want to indulge the child's need for play more. They had spent the afternoon being creative and she had watched in awe as Sam and Chey had worked together to create a beautiful picture based around a story of a little girl in a world of strange but cute creatures called 'fluffles' who were soft, round and fluffy with huge eyes. Sam even encouraged her with some writing by getting her to write her name on the picture and choose and write names for each of her creatures. The concentration that Chey put in was incredible and Mercedes had been surprised that she had popped to the kitchen to put something together for dinner and come back they were still together working intently. This time, when she had approached the two of them had become secretive so she allowed them the time to work together, the sight of them bonding making her smile.

Dinner was informal and simple, they sat in the lounge with plates of rice which she had cooked up with the meat and vegetables from her fridge which were on their last legs due to their having been away. Chey was excited about something but was doing her best to keep her excitement suppressed, which meant that it was barely suppressed at all and Mercedes had to remind her several times to finish what was on her plate. Sam ate as if he hadn't just gone large on his burger meal a couple of hours before and spent more time complementing her and helping himself to seconds and thirds than he did on any other conversation.

After the meal came the big reveal. The reason Sam and Chey had taken so long working together is because it wasn't just the one picture. Chey proudly presented her with a 'book' which consisted of two pieces of letter paper folded together to make eight pages and taped together at the spine by Sam. The front cover was a picture of her, similar to the caricature drawn by Sam while he was in London with the words 'Why Mommy Is The Best In The World' in bubble writing underneath, and below that 'by Annie Jones' in her daughter's own fair hand. There was no way that she could fail to smile at that. Ever her father's daughter. Each page inside had a picture either drawn by Chey, or if Sam had done the drawing she had at least attempted with the coloring in and the writing. There were various things that were loved about her including her cuddles, her smile and her cookies. Her personal favourite was the picture of her in a gold dress singing on stage with the words 'mommy is brave' underneath.

By the end Mercedes could feel the tears in her eyes. It was so cute and thoughtful. She knew that it was Sam's idea but the execution of it had been perfect. It was only as she stared hard at the words and pictures that she fully began to comprehend how Sam must have felt when he had opened up the picture book.

"This is- it's…" Mercedes struggled to find the words as she stared at the 'book' in her hand.

"Do you like it mommy?" Chey's voice was full of excitement.

"Aw honey I _love _it!" She scooped up her little girl and smothered her in kisses. "I love it so much. And you worked really hard on it! Mommy is_ so_ proud of you and I will treasure this always! Thankyou thankyou thankyou!"

Chey could barely contain her smiles and giggles as she accepted the kisses with glee.

Mercedes smiled up at Sam. "And thanks to daddy as well for helping you."

He smiled back at her. "It was just us having some fun."

"It still means a lot to me."

"Can we play now?" Chey had already moved on from the moment even if the adults hadn't.

"Yes we can play. But I think maybe you should have your bath and put your pajamas on first!"

Chey pouted and Mercedes shook her head. "If you do it now then you can play all the way up until bedtime. If you don't then I'll have to stop you early and you won't like that."

"Will daddy play too?"

Sam nodded. "I'll play too. But only if you do what mommy says."

Chey narrowed her eyes in thought before finally reasoning it through and agreeing, pulling Mercedes up the stairs behind her to speed up the process.

Sam watched their interactions with a smile. He was still learning parenthood but he was enjoying what he was learning. Chey was a lot like him. She did well when given lots of attention and a project to focus on. His dyslexia had made the writing aspect of things harder which is why he often wandered into the realm of creativity, but Chey also seemed to be the same way when it came to creativeness. Her reading and writing skills were excellent for her age, clearly she wasn't dyslexic, but he also felt that it was due in part to the fact that Mercedes spent a lot of time with her one on one and encouraged her to have a love of books and an active imagination. As always, Mercedes was an awesome mother and the person that he saw himself having his future children with.

The collection of games on her shelf had increased significantly over the last few months and in his quest for Mario Karts he found Need For Speed. Mercedes didn't strike him as a racer but he knew she was still capable of surprising him at every turn and it was one of the things that thrilled him. Setting up the Wii he indulged himself in a couple of laps of his favourite courses while the girls were upstairs having bathtime. Before he knew it they were back and she was eyeing him carefully as he completed his lap. "Think you can do better?" He grinned as she scoffed at his time.

"Oh I _know_ I can!"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Challenge accepted!"

Chey looked up at the adults. Unimpressed at not being part of the conversation she held up the case for Mario Karts until Sam took it and loaded the game.

Bedtime was fun. Instead of reading, Chey told them a story involving her 'fluffles'. She missed school but was excited to be having a play date the next day. By the time her eyes had drooped and she'd had her goodnight kisses Mercedes felt nervous. The barrier between her and Sam was now gone. As they stepped out of her room into the hallway he shot her a grin. "So you think you can beat me can you?"

"Definitely!"

"We'll see about that!" Shoving her to the side he raced down the stairs two at a time with her in hot pursuit.

* * *

Sam couldn't believe it. The girl had some crazy skills! "Where did you learn to play like this?"

She smiled and shrugged "Natural talent I guess."

"Talent and _luck_! Everyone knows women drivers are worse!"

"Hey! You're a chauvinistic pig!" She shoved him in the side.

He shoved back. "It was a fluke."

"You're just a sore loser Sam!" This time her shove was harder and he pretended that it hurt.

"Ow! I'm not! But I do demand a rematch!"

"Nope!" She grinned at him mischeviously and snatched the controller out of his hand and held it out of his reach.

"Oh so we're going to be like _that _are we?" He reached across her to grab it from her hands but she moved back out of his reach and giggled. "Really, Mercedes? Are we really going to do this?"

"Do what?" she asked, all innocent eyes, edging even further along the couch away from him with a mischievous smile, all the while holding the controller as far away from him as possible.

"_This!_" Before she even had a chance to get her thoughts together he had reached across, pushing her into the couch and using the element of surprise and the length of his arms to snatch it from her hands.

"Hey! That wasn't fair-"

The words were barely out of her mouth before he was standing in front of her, holding the controller tantalizingly close to her face. "If you can get it I'll concede to you being the winner."

Mercedes glared at him, knowing that the second she went for it her would move it out of her reach and hoping to distract him enough to give her the element of surprise. "You really think I'm going to fall for that one? You're only just going to move it further away." She stayed perfectly still as he waved it the controller closer and closer to her.

_One inch closer and I'm gonna snatch that thing like a wig!_

Mercedes pounced like a cat stalking prey but Sam was a millisecond faster. She felt it under her fingertips but instead of grabbing it she simply knocked it from his hand. For a split second they both watched it skid onto the floor before they both went for it, Sam being faster because he was closer.

"Damn!" Mercedes scowled again as he waved it tantalisingly above her head, knowing she was too short to be able to reach it. How was she to know that he was also enjoying the view of her bouncing heaving breasts as she inched closer to him as she reached up?

"Poor poor Cedes! Why do you have to be such a short ass!"

Mercedes was sensitive about her lack of height at the best of times and right now she was having a complete sense of humor bypass. She would have given anything to wipe that smug expression off Sam's face right now.

But he wasn't giving up. "Maybe if you jump higher you might get it!" This time he didn't even bother to disguise the fact he was checking her out and Mercedes decided that she wasn't going to play his game at all.

"So you want a rematch, huh!" She backed away slowly, deciding on a new plan of action.

"It's only fair!" Sam smirked amiably.

"Nothing's fair in life Sam."

He watched her as she stepped back, trying to work out what she was about to do. "Aw come on, you know that all's fair in lo-" His words were cut off by his body suddenly crashing to the floor and landing right in the middle of Mercedes' fluffy rug. Without warning she had moved to his side and dealt him a swift kick to the back of the knees, causing him to collapse forward. Realizing too late what was happening he did the only thing that he could, grabbing her to bring him down with him. He shifted himself so that she would land on him and not get hurt by the fall, but before she had a chance to recover her flipped them so that she was pinned underneath him.

The whole thing happened so quickly that neither of them noticed the controller skidding away underneath the couch to be recovered another day. Both were too busy dealing with their close proximity to each other while panting and trying to catch their breath, their faces just inches away from a passionate kiss that it looked like neither of them were willing to fight.

Sam pulled himself together faster and realized that this was his golden opportunity. Mercedes Jones was going nowhere. He pinned his hands either side of her head to ensure she couldn't escape and her eyes widened.

"Sam? What are you doing?"

"Making sure that we finally have the conversation we need to have."

She frowned and tried to wriggle away but he wouldn't let her. "Like this?" She was blushing like crazy and was sure that he knew it.

He bit the bullet.

"Yep. This is the only way I can guarantee that you won't run away or change the subject before I finish what I need to say."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance when really she was trying to distract herself from the feelings that his close proximity was bringing out in her. "So what do you need to tell me that requires you having to pin me down to the ground first? I'm sure you and I are more than capable of having a conversation like normal upright adults." As the words came out of her mouth she immediately knew that she was going to regret them but she attempted to push him out of the way so that she could get up regardless. The expected response was not what she got and her struggle to get away from Sam only caused him to pin her down tighter. She should have felt threatened by his behaviour but all that she could think was that his cologne smelled really good and now that it was evening she could see the slight hint of stubble growth on his chin.

Then to top it all he was now doing that jaw clench again which was always sexy as-

"For fuck sake Mercedes! You make me crazy!" His eyes were dark and his face was reddening and she truly believed that she had made him angry.

"I'm sorry, I was only-"

"And stop apologizing! I don't mean _angry_ crazy, I mean 'how the hell am I holding it together rather than kissing you senseless right now' kind of crazy!"

_Well that was unexpected! _"Sam I-"

"Just shut up and listen! I'm crazy about you. I have been for a while now. Every morning I wake up with you on my mind, every night I fall asleep thinking about you. You fucking haunt my every thought and you steal my peace. I existed fine until you blasted back into my life and now I feel as though I can't function without you. When I was away in Europe I was fucking miserable. Why? Because I wanted to share it with you. I wanted you with me. I wanted to be near you but you were hiding from me."

"Sam-"

"Shut up and let me finish! Every time I try and compliment you or say something nice you run, but today I'm not letting you run. Today I have no more fucks to give when it comes to being nice and letting you slip through my fingers. I've dropped more than enough hints that what I feel for you is more than friendship. You're more to me than just someone who happens to be the mother of my child. I can't go another second without letting you know how hard I'm falling for you. Everyone can see it apart from you. You're stunning and I want to smack every guy who stares at your sexy ass, and believe me, there are many of those. You're honest, caring, loyal and kind, yet also fierce when you want to be. And did I forget to mention that you have a banging body? You have so many good qualities Mercedes, that if by being with you I can be half as amazing as you it would be a miracle."

"But-"

"Hush…" He leaned his face closer to hers. "I know you're into me too because Santana ripped me to shreds about how jealous you were when you thought she was my girlfriend that I brought back from Europe. You and I have been on a collision course since the night that I left to fly to London. But it's not just a shallow thing. You're not a shallow person and you don't take relationships lightly. When I look at you I feel something that I never felt before, a completeness. It excites me and scares me at the same time. When I look at you I just _know_ that it's right. And you feel it too." His lips were now millimeters from hers and his voice was lowered to a whisper. "You and me Mercedes... Tell me that you know it too."

He tilted his head forwards and brushed his lips on hers for a kiss but she pulled her head away, causing a stricken expression to pass over his face.

Mercedes looked up at him panicked. It's not that she didn't want to kiss him, hell she wanted nothing more than for him to do all the things his facial expression had been promising he would do to her over the last few weeks. But there was too much at stake here. She needed to be sure. "How will I know?"

Sam tried hard not to be crushed and stared deeply into her eyes and praying that she would see the sincerity in them and knowing that he would have to tone himself down if he was going to get through to her. "You have to give me a chance Mercedes. You have to give me the chance to prove over the next few days, weeks, months and years that you're the one that I want. _The one_!"

She broke his stare to cast her eyes downwards with a sigh. It was everything she wanted to hear and for some reason she hated that. He was potentially offering her a forever. "Stop saying the right thing Sam!"

Initial arrogance gone, he knew it was time to plead his case. "I can't help it. I already know that being with you is the right thing and I will do everything in my power to make you see that too."

"But what we had was only-"

_Not that old argument again! _"What we had was interrupted. We never had the chance to explore what it actually was. What we have right now is already good but we can make it amazing."

She looked up at him again and allowed him to caress her cheek tenderly. It was a move which was totally at odds with his_ shut the fuck up and let me kiss the life out of you _speech he had just given. But it succeeded in lowering her defences even more.

Mercedes wanted this, she wanted it so badly he couldn't possibly begin to imagine. But surely there was far more to lose than there was to gain...

"I have to think of Chey. She loves you Sam. What if things go wrong with us? She'll be so hurt."

"And what if things go right? Why are you being so negative?"

"I'm being realistic! We've got more going against us that we've got going for us!" _Plus there was also the fact that if she finally let go and let him in, there would be no going back._

"I disagree. If we weren't compatible we wouldn't get on as well as we do. When it comes to Chey, I would never do anything to hurt her, and we've already proved that regardless of how we felt about each other we always put her first."

Mercedes didn't have a reply to that. He'd made his point well and he had to keep the momentum going. "Mercedes, you're just making excuses and it's time for you to stop running now." He lifted her chin with his finger to force her to look up at him. "I need to look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for me. If you do I promise never to mention this ever again."

Her head tilted up but her eyes avoided his. "Come on Mercedes, don't fight me on this!"

His lips were tantalizingly close again and she bit the plump bottom one before speaking, her voice soft and weak. "But we were just... We were just a one night stand..."

Sam grinned, she was weakening and now he was on the home run. Now it was time to go in for the kill. "True. But only because of circumstances. It wasn't supposed to be that way. I fucked up and you ran. The problem was, I wasn't ready to let you go. I felt something that night. We both did. That's why I searched for you."

"You're just trying to make me feel-"

"No Mercedes. The first time I tried to tell you this you didn't want to listen. This time I'm not giving you a choice. That night we had chemistry. You kissed me first and when I kissed you back you didn't run. I know you well enough now to know you wouldn't have let me kiss you if you didn't want it, and you would never have stayed if you didn't feel something. You don't make decisions lightly and whatever guilt you may have felt after the event doesn't lessen the strength of your feelings at the time.

"But Sam-"

"But nothing Mercedes. What happened that night happened for a reason and it's not over, not by a long shot. There were feelings that never got explored and opportunities that never had the chance to happen. I'm just asking one thing, for you to give this a chance. For you to give _us _a chance. We never got the opportunity to find out what would have happened if there were no interruptions. All I know is that I had no intention of letting you go that moment. And all I'm asking is that we go back to that moment and see where it takes us."

"Sam-"

"Stop Mercedes! You can't fight me on this! You won't look me in the eye because you feel something for me too. It's not a coincidence that I've been flirting with you, I _want _you to know that I'm interested, and I know that you have feelings for me too. I want to date you properly. I want to woo you like you deserve. You can't fight this because you know we both want it..."

"I was just flattered-"

"You kissed me backstage Mercedes. You _kissed me!_"

"I was thanking you... For your kind words."

"And remember what happened last time that happened? On the roof? The fucking earth moved!" He tried not to notice that her speeded up breathing caused her chest to heave and his mouth to water. "Unfinished business." He lowered his voice to a whisper, relishing the effect that his close proximity was clearly having on her. "The world already believes that we're an item. What's stopping us from making it a reality?"

Mercedes' eyes were big and brown and glassy and she had no more words left. He knew he had her. He knew she was lost. "We have to take this back to the start. Do you remember Mercedes? Do you remember what we were doing when my phone rang?"

She nodded but that wasn't good enough. "Say it! What were we actually doing that very moment?"

Her eyes were locked on his. "Kissin-"

And then he closed the gap and kissed her. Not the one huge kiss that he had been threatening, but a series of small light kisses onto her soft lips, similar to what they had exchanged before the show and under the mistletoe, only slightly less innocent. He wanted more, much more, but he wanted her to be the one to initiate that.

It didn't take long. Moments later she had brought her hands up to his face and hair and deepened the kiss. It was what he had needed what he had craved for so long, the pressure on their lips now crushing as their faces almost smashed together in their frantic need to taste more of each other.

Sam felt like a man drinking from a water source suddenly discovered in the middle of a parched desert. He got greedy, her lips were soft and sensual but he needed more, far more. Running his tongue along her bottom lip then probing gently he was quickly granted entry, allowing him to drink her in more fully. He wanted to tell her everything with that kiss. To tell her, not just how he felt, but also how serious he was about her.

Opening his eyes for a sneaky peak he saw her eyes were closed, her face full of emotion which was rapidly turning into frustration at his break in contact. He made up for that error immediately, attacking her mouth again with his and leaving her breathless.

She pulled her body closer to his and he ran his hand along her side, taking in the curve of her breast, waist and hips. She was as soft as he imagined. All the weeks of holding back from touching her and now he wanted to feel everything.

Mercedes was the same, one moment clawing his back, the next feeling his abs through his shirt. He smiled against her lips as she traced the outline of one of his nipples, slightly tickling him. Settling between her legs he allowed her hands to roam over him. The first time they were together things had moved too fast. This time they were able to take the time to get more acquainted with each other.

Sam broke his lips away from her mouth and traced them along her jaw, causing her to sigh lightly, a sound that turned him on even more. This time her hands moved to stroke his belly underneath his shirt and he wasted no time in sitting up and completely removing it, relishing the hungry look that his naked torso brought to her face. This was hers, all hers. He belonged to Mercedes just as much as she belonged to him now and he allowed her to push him back against the fluffy rug as she began her exploration of kisses on his chest. It felt like heaven. Somehow he found the patience to let her take things at her own pace but it was hard, just like certain parts of him now were.

As she began climbing back up his body to find his lips again he used the opportunity to finally get his hands on her gloriously firm shapely ass. He let them roam, squeezing and massaging the cheeks gently as she groaned against his lips and started to grind her hips against him. It was too much.

Taking charge again her rolled her back onto her back and lifted her sweater to kiss her belly over the top of her leggings. The sensation made her giggle and try to push him away but he was having none of it. Being lower down he was met by a familiar scent. It was a smell that had followed him around that night long after she had gone. Even the next morning when he had gone to take a shower it was still lingering. The scent of her arousal. The scent of her sex.

Sam's mouth began to water, things had moved so quickly that night that he never had the opportunity to taste her.

"Sam…" He looked up into her eyes and saw the expression of pure desire that filled them. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her…

He felt her hands move down to his ass then to the buckle of his belt before he quickly pulled away. "SHIT!"

Her eyes widened, her haze of passion suddenly starting to clear. "Wh-what?"

"I don't have any condoms. And I going to assume that you don't keep any in the house…"

"Shit!" The feeling was mutual. "I have plastic wrap!" Somehow Sam managed to smother her giggle with a kiss which was more to cover his own rising laughter than anything else.

"Not quite the same honey."

"I know but-"

Sam didn't have any problem with the possibility of getting Mercedes pregnant again. He actually really liked the idea, but even he had to concede that this was just that little bit too soon. "Tomorrow we'll go out and buy Walgreens completely out!"

Her frustrated groan sounded just like the one he was fighting to keep inside and the fact that he was stroking her inner thigh didn't help. Neither was the way his hand had dipped underneath the waist of her leggings and made a beeline straight to her sticky core. This is why he didn't notice that night. He had assumed the stickiness on the condom was purely from her. There was no reason to believe that it had been a combination of both of them!

He brought the coated fingers back up to his lips with a triumphant smile. "I never got to taste you Mercedes. At least let me taste you!"

The good girl in Mercedes made her shake her head in a _no_ but the bad girl in her had already raised her hips the second he had hooked his thumbs into the waistband of both her leggings and her panties.

He may not have been able to have sex with her right now, but when it came to Mercedes Jones, that wasn't going to stop Sam Evans from taking the opportunity to rock her world…

* * *

**_Whoot Whoot! Samcedes at last! (Although not quite Samcex)_**

**_And now for the bad news. Having churned out nearly 200k of story in the last 3 months has sort of taken its toll and I really need to get back to real life and family for a bit. I've got the story to a nice point so that I can take a short break without leaving things on a cliffhanger. I should have done it weeks ago but am addicted to writing at the moment. I promise that I'm not abandoning this story, but I am taking a month off to avoid conflict in my life. This story does have an ending and I am determined to reach it._**

**_Familiar Faces will continue in February so do watch this space and thanks for following!_**

**_Vix_**


	29. Wanted

**_Thanks to everyone for your patience with this story. I really needed that break but I am back now. Apologies for missing the Valentine's day deadline, this chapter has ended up being seriously loooooong but I refused to go to sleep until I posted! Lol!_**

**_Also a huge apology for the infinite number of errors in this chapter. As I wanted to get it posted it's not proofread and there's a good chance sections might be weirdly jointed coz I write in spurts and paste it together. I will be coming back to edit._**

**_One thing to get off my chest first, to our fave abusive reviewer guest05: I would have sent a PM but unsurprisingly the coward has them disabled. 'Just one question about your review on chapter one of this story. I went back and re-read it just to be sure, and yes, my description of Mercedes in chapter one is all of three words, those being 'a black woman'. For you to have got that she was fat and ugly from that is the hugest stretch known to man and reveals issues that I would suggest require professional help. It is also an insult to the beautiful Amber Riley who plays Mercedes and who is proud to be a curvy black actress. Don't make accusations that you cannot back up or presume to know a thing about me as a person. Being abusive to writers on this site does nothing but make you look stupid and so entirely ignorant that you are incapable of stringing even a basic sentence together without obscenities and insults, especially when there is nothing to back up your claims. This is fiction. If you don't like, don't read. There is such a thing as a plot and a backstory to explain why a particular character behaves the way that they do. If you really think you can do better then please do so. I would be intrigued to see what kind of a story and description of Mercedes you deem to be acceptable. Once you've written a story with Mercedes as a main character which has received over 1000 reviews, I will happily engage you in conversation. Until then, you will occupy no more of my time, thoughts and energy. My piece has been said. Take that broken seat with the haters to the left while the rest of us who actually have a life get on with it.'_**

**_Yep. That felt good. Now on to the story!_**

* * *

Sam wasn't sure if it was a dream or reality until he opened his eyes. Then he knew it was a reality. She wasn't there. He was definitely in the chocolate and cream guest bedroom. The little nips on his chest that she had made with her teeth last night were still there though, as was the stiff reminder between his legs which was causing his sheet to tent above his abdomen.

Closing his eyes and sliding his hand downwards he relived his actions of the night before, the softness of her skin and the sounds she made with her mouth before she'd resorted to holding a cushion over her face in a combination of embarrassment and desire to muffle her involuntary noises she was making. The way he'd had to hold fast to her ass to stop her hips from bucking as he tortured her clit with his tongue and drank her nectar direct from its source.

He was still regaining his breath and silently thanking Mercedes for keeping a box of Kleenex on the bedside table when he heard his phone ringing. Who the hell would be calling him this early? It was Santana and going against his better judgment he took the call.

"_What?_" He knew he didn't sound pleased but it was only eight in the morning!

"Shit! Why did you answer?" She sounded shocked to hear him.

"_Because you fucking rang?_" What the hell else was she expecting!

"Of fuck! Did I wake up Mercedes?"

"She's not here!"

There was a pause. "But you're in bed right?"

"Well _duh!_"

"No need to take that tone with me just because you didn't get any last night! From what I heard you would have had the perfect opportunity being alone in the house with her!"

Right now Sam was not in the mood for her games. "Santana, what exactly was the point of this call?"

"I was just going to leave you a voice message. I'd assumed your phone would have been thrown away into some dark corner during a fit of passion and I was going to congratulate you. Clearly I was wrong and you're not as smooth as I had hoped!"

"What the-"

"So the question is, if you're still in bed, and alone, how come you sound breathless?"

Sam didn't reply. He didn't need to because she did it for him. "_…Wanky!_"

_Seriously, if he didn't love her so much he would hate her! _But she always had to have the last word. "Anyway, I'll leave you to get back to fisting your blue balls. I have my own fisting to… oooh…" Her words trailed off into a giggle that became a groan followed by lip smacking kissing noises and rustling sheets.

"Goodbye Sam!" He had been just about to disconnect the call when he was beaten to it by somebody else ending the call. And if he hadn't still been in a sleepy state he would have sworn that final voice belonged to Brittany. Santana and Brittany? Of course he knew about his lawyer's sexuality yet she was always silent when it came to relationships. He remembered early on the strange vibe he'd had from Mercedes and instantly let her come to her own conclusion about Brittany and her unicorn. But the truth was, as far as he was aware, Britts was bisexual. Her last relationship that he could recall was with a man but when it came to Santana, the two of women _had_ been spending a lot of time together recently…

Shit he was clueless! Those two had been joined at the hip pretty much from the moment he had introduced them.

But Santana and her behavior really was something else. That she was gunning for him and Mercedes hard was obvious from the get go, but she didn't even bother trying to be subtle about it.

"Daddy?"

He looked up at the door to see Chey in her pajamas, Teddy clutched in one hand. "Hey baby!" This time he was far less nervous and he patted the space next to him on top of the sheets, thankful that she hadn't caught him while he was relieving his tension. She smiled and immediately leaped up to join him.

"Mommy is still sleeping. Can we have pancakes?"

That child and her damn pancakes! On the other hand, the idea of making breakfast in bed for Mercedes was one that appealed to him a lot. If he had done his work right then she would be feeling pretty tired this morning.

"You know what? I think we can have pancakes! But daddy needs to learn how first!"

He grabbed Chey's hand and his ipad and led her downstairs where he scoured YouTube for instructional videos.

* * *

Mercedes woke up with a smile. She'd remembered a long heated debate she'd once had with Quinn about the differences between vaginal orgasms and clitoral orgasms. She had maintained that there was no difference while Quinn had insisted she was wrong. Right now she felt like picking up the phone and giving her friend a groveling apology.

Sam had done things with his mouth on her clit which had sent her out of the stratosphere with pleasure. She couldn't believe it. Just with his fingers and his mouth, but mostly just his mouth. She rolled over and squealed into her pillow with embarrassment when she thought of all the porn star noises that had come out of her mouth until she had taken a cushion to muffle them. That woman on the fluffy rug wasn't Mercedes Jones, she was some sex starved brazen hussy! What the hell had Sam been thinking of? And worse still, somewhere in all of that, she had confessed to him that it had been years that she had been intimate with anyone.

Then there was the Saran wrap suggestion. Thinking of that made her want to crawl inside the mattress and die. Was she really that desperate? Did Sam really make her lower her inhibitions that much that she would suggest something to juvenile, selfish and risky? She wasn't some clueless teenager, she knew what the implications were, but she was desperate. Sam made her desperate. He made her lose her inhibitions and her common sense. He was the only man she ever had a one night stand with. And the power he had over her sexually was incredible. She had to be strong. She had to not give in so easily. Yes he admitted to having feelings for her, and yes she believed that he was genuine in what he said about trying to see where things could go with the two of them but at the same time, she shouldn't she be rushing into a sexual relationship. What if Sam had not been so level headed? What if they'd had unprotected sex last night? What if she had got pregnant again? How would that look? What would that say about her? Why would Sam want to commit to someone who behaved like trash?

She had gone to sleep thinking about how she could maybe get her mom to have Chey for a couple of hours, rush out to buy condoms and let Sam fuck her senseless until all of their pent up sexual tension had been released. But the reality of the day put a new spin on things. That Sam wanted her sexually was certain. They may have not had actual penetrative sex but the things he had done to her had made her lose track of her orgasms. She was the one that had to put a space between them. She would have loved nothing more than to spend the night in his arms, but she didn't trust herself. She didn't trust herself at all.

She could tell that Sam was disappointed when she suggested they sleep in their own rooms but he was respectful of her wishes. He even picked up that she wanted to recover alone when she suggested he go up and she would see him in the morning. By the time she had rearranged herself and made her way to the top of the stairs the light was on in his bathroom. She had paused thinking she had heard noises in there. It was only with the sudden gasp of her name followed by the sound of the shower water running that she had even considered what he had been going through and what he was doing in there. Sam had been focused 100% on giving her pleasure and she had sent him away, leaving him to sort himself out!

They needed to talk. The dynamic of their relationship had changed. Sam had said that he wanted to woo her and she wanted it too. But him wooing her seemed at odds with her flinging herself at him sexually. She didn't want things to get confused. She didn't want sex to muddy the waters. They needed to do this properly and in the correct order. Hard as it was going to be, she was going to have to exercise some self-control.

Casting a quick eye on the time she noticed that it was nearly nine. Chey usually would have been in her room by now but maybe she had gone for Sam instead. Mercedes used the opportunity to take a quick shower and freshen up before heading downstairs.

As she was about to leave her room she noticed a piece of paper that had been slipped under her door. It was from Sam. He and Chey were making pancakes but there was no milk so he had taken her out to buy milk. Because of not having door keys and not wanting to wake her they had gone out in the car via the garage and there was a good chance they would be back before she even woke up.

Mercedes raced down the stairs to see where they were and was met by two grins and a bowl of pancake batter.

"We went out mommy!" Chey looked happy to see her and proud of the trip they had taken and Mercedes was disturbed to notice that she was still wearing her pajamas with a skirt over the top. Sam was simply smiling at her with complete and utter adoration that made any annoyance that she had felt immediately dissipate. She should have been mad at him for taking their child out of the house without waking her first. He simply smiled and leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. "Good morning Mercedes. We left you a note to say we had gone to buy milk. But when we got to the store I found some instant pancake mix so I figured I could just stir some cinnamon and raisins into it and get the same end result."

She was still reeling at his calmness and her cheek was glowing from his kiss. "You took Chey out in her pajamas with a skirt on top?"

He grinned sheepishly. "She had her coat and shoes on too. It didn't look like she still had her pajamas on. But I didn't really know about getting her dressed and wanted to leave it to you."

How could she be mad at him for sneaking their daughter out of the house while she was asleep when the whole thing was actually so funny? "So shall I just leave you guys to it?"

Chey nodded even though she wasn't the one being addressed. Sam laughed at his daughter. "We were going to do breakfast in bed for you so I think a certain little madam would prefer it if you went back up to bed until we're ready. Sadly it might be a while but we're doing our best!"

Mercedes sighed and smiled. "Okay. Just this once I'm leaving you free rein of my kitchen. Please don't destroy it!"

"We won't."  
"No mommy!"

Their earnest faces just make her smile harder. As she turned to leave she felt Sam's hand over hers. "And then afterwards, can we talk? You know. A proper talk?"

She knew what he was saying without him saying it. It was almost as if he had read her mind. "Sure. We'll talk." But she couldn't quite look him in the eye without blushing.

The pancakes were a success. Not quite as delicious as the ones Mercedes had put together but Chey had no complaints so nobody else was going to kick up a fuss. Chey was a complete fidget and managed to spill juice on Mercedes' bedspread, but other than that it went well, even though Mercedes found Sam sitting on her bed distracting. When it came to time for their talk she decided it was best for it to happen in the kitchen, on neutral territory.

She was busy loading the dishwasher when he planted a small kiss on her neck. "So about last night…"

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved Sam."

He frowned. "What do you mean you're sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?"

"I got caught up and acted stupidly instead of rationally. I'm not normally like that and I let myself down."

He turned her to face him. "We both got caught up in the heat of the moment. I came on far too strong. I just meant to tell you how I felt, not browbeat you into submission!"

"It's what I needed Sam. I would have denied any feelings til I was blue in the face. You needed to push it out of me. What you didn't need it me making stupid immature suggestions."

He shrugged. "I don't know. I thought it was pretty creative!"

She whacked his arm lightly. "Sam! Be serious! How would we have explained me being rushed to the emergency room with a wad of Saran wrap rammed up against my cervix?"

He shot her his famous lopsided smile and leaned forward, putting his mouth against her ear. "Rammed huh?" He breathed the words rather than actually spoke them and the heat of his breath against her ear made her shudder involuntarily. "Rammed… I like the word." Turning to face an imaginary TV camera to the side he curled his lips into a snarl and growled in mock ferocity full of innuendo adding a thrust of the hips for good measure. "Rrrrrrrrammed!"

"Sam!" She wanted to chastise him for his stupidness but failed miserably because this time it was her voice coming out in the form of a loud exhale as his arms made their way around her waist, pulling her closer.

Ignoring her chastisement he traced his lips along her cheek until he found her lips, but rather than move in for the kiss he stopped at the crucial moment. "You know, I think we need adjectives and shit to go with that. How about it being 'tightly rammed', 'firmly pressed' or 'molded against' that magic place I'll be hitting? Because if anybody was to sneak that particular story out onto the internet I'm going to want it to do ME some justice!"

He was a fraction of a second too slow in moving away from Mercedes whose response was a swift smack upside the head. "Sam I'm serious. I really don't think that I should be letting feelings impair my judgment like that!"

Sam stopped smiling and looked hard at her. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that my feelings for you are clouded by this huge fog of sexual attraction and I don't want to make an emotionally expensive mistake like I did the last time."

"So you don't want us to try things out?"

"Oh I do! I definitely want to see what kind of a relationship we can pull together, especially Chey in the middle of this, but I need to make sure that my response is more than just a physical one."

He frowned. "So I can't kiss you?"

She shook her head. "Oh, you can _definitely_ kiss me. But I don't think we should rush into having sex just yet. Last night I was a mess. It's been a while… first I was pregnant, then a new mother, then I was depressed, then I just didn't feel like it. The time can pass really quickly when sexual relationships aren't the center of universe." She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Not that I'm saying anything about your past, it's just that there's lots of things that I had to focus on in my life that were a higher priority."

Sam was silent for a moment. "Okay."

"Huh?"

"I said okay. You're not saying you don't want to see how things go between us, you're just saying you don't think it's a good idea for us to have sex yet."

"Exactly!"

"And I'm saying 'okay'. If that's what you want then we'll do it your way. After last night I personally don't think you'll be able to keep it up for long before giving in, but I will respect your wishes and keep my hands to myself."

"Thank you Sam. Thanks for understanding."

"I don't quite understand, but as long as I still get to kiss you I don't mind. Can I ask you something unrelated?"

"Sure."

"Was it okay that I took Chey out? I debated it for ages. I could have woken you but you were sleeping so peacefully."

"In all honesty I wish you had too. But it's done now. And at least you left a message. I have no problem with you taking Chey out, I just need to know first." Suddenly she giggled.

"What's funny?"

"My initial thought was that you'd taken Chey out to buy condoms and I was going to rip your head off!"!

"What an awful idea! But I totally would have done that if I'd thought about it. only it would then have been doubly disappointing that we're taking things slow."

She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "You'll live Sam. You'll live."

Sam spent time putting up a shelf in Chey's playroom. Mercedes had said she was going to get someone in to do it but he suddenly he felt manly. After accomplishing his mission he turned to her. "So I was thinking about what you said while we were at Stevie's."

"What did I say?"

"About wishing you could just go somewhere quiet to sit and read your book for days on end and hide from the world."

"Doesn't everybody wish for that?"

"Yes and no. Yes I love to escape, but no, books aren't my first choice for relaxing entertainment. The amount of paperwork I have to deal with in the office and my dyslexia means that I much prefer audio-visual entertainment if I want to relax. Or simply doing nothing at all."

"But you're always so busy. You never get the chance."

He grinned. "That's where you're wrong. Now is the time that I get to reap the fruit of my labors. Today I have two meetings, one of which is with my assistant to discuss what will happen over my extended absence because after today I'm off work for a month!"

"A month!"

His smile was huge. "A month. I might have to pop in for the odd thing but basically it's finally time for me to enjoy the rewards for having to slog my guts of 24/7 while I was in Europe. Stevie thinks I've earned it and I totally agree."

"So what are you planning to do with your time?"

"Camp out in my games room!" Mercedes elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed. "No. Much as I would love to, I know that wouldn't be the best thing for me. But seriously I was thinking of taking a holiday. I was away but it's not as if I had any time to enjoy myself while I was out there. So I was thinking of taking a holiday and spending more time with you guys to make up for the missed weekends. And then I thought why don't we all go on holiday? You want to hide out somewhere quiet, I need the rest, Chey's already been taken out of school and best of all, I know the perfect place!"

Mercedes' eyes were wide. "You want us to go away with you?"

"We went to Disney didn't we?"

"Yeah but that was before-"

"I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, but honestly, all I need to do is make a couple of calls and by tomorrow evening we can be on a warm beach somewhere quiet."

"Sam you don't need to-"

"But I _want_ to. Don't think of me. When was the last time Chey went to the beach?"

"Well…" Internally she cursed him for getting her again.

"She'll love it. I promise. We'll spoil her rotten. And I'll spoil _you _rotten too."

"I don't need to be-"

"Yes you do. You deserve it and now you've finally given me a chance, let me pull out all the stops and make this worth it!" His eyes were green versions of the huge ones Chey tended to pull and annoyingly they were equally as irresistible. "You know you want to say yes…"

"I promised Kurt I would go to the office and see what kind of things I can help him out with there…"

"It can wait a week."

"And Anthony Hamilton has invited me to tour his studio."

"That's on Monday. We can be back by then."

"I don't even have a swimsuit that fits anymore-"

This time he simply side-eyed her and shook his head slowly. "Quit with the excuses. Would you rather be reading your book in snowy New York or on the beach with the warm sun on your skin and the sound of the waves crashing in the background?"

"It's not about me!"

It was exactly when he was hoping she would say. "I'm glad you made that point. How about if I put it this way, would you rather Chey be cooped upstairs in the playroom for the next few days because I know you're still nervous about going out, or would you prefer her building sandcastles, learning to ride a horse and letting daddy teach her to fish!"

Despite herself Mercedes smiled. "You fish?"

"Dammit woman! You are the queen of deflection! I'm asking you to come away with me and you're caught up on fishing!"

"You make it sound like a big deal."

"It is a big deal." He stroked the side of her hair gently. "This time, you and I can make it a romantic trip as well as a family one."

"But I don't think I can-"

"Don't worry. I'll be a perfect gentleman. We'll have separate rooms. I just want to be able to date you. I want to see you coming out of your room looking all sexy and know it's all for me, not some loser who thinks he's better than me because he happened to misunderstand what I do for a living!"

Mercedes knew it was a dig at Moe but didn't rise to take the bait. Instead she agreed to the trip, reaching up and giving him a brief thank you kiss on the lips, then allowed him to disappear into his room and make some calls, feeling guilty that she was always refusing him.

He returned with a grin. "So are you going to tell us where we're going?"

Sam smiled and shook his head. "Remember when we surprised Chey with the Disney trip? Well this is going to be a surprise for you too."

"Well I need a clue at least! Will the flight be long?"

"About 4 hours so bring some stuff to entertain Chey on the flight."

"And I've instructed Andrea to get you guys warm weather clothes. I would suggest a hat too, especially for Chey."

"So we're going somewhere hot?"

"I was thinking that would be pretty obvious at this point. And yes, bring lots and lots of sunscreen!"

"Sam! Wait! Who's Andrea?"

"Personal shopper. Tomorrow morning you can go to the office and deal with Kurt. He won't mind if you bring Chey with you too if you need to. Then after lunch Andrea will take you girls out to buy a holiday wardrobe, swimsuits, dresses, whatever you need."

"You've really thought of everything haven't you!"

"I try to My aim is to please."

"I've never used a personal shopper before!"

"It's fun. Listen to that! I'm male and I hate shopping and I still approve of it! But seriously Mercedes, I need you to go mad. This is a fresh start for us and everything has to be new. You and Chey will be buying suitcases and filling them for this trip, no questions asked. I'm spoiling my girls because I can!"

"And what kind of shops will we go to?"

"Oh everywhere. You can even hunt through some of the stuff in our boutiques and see if you like any of the Evans clothing range!"

"All this for a little holiday?"

"Mercedes, I really want to pull out all the stops on this one for you guys, just this once. It you'll let me."

She rolled her eyes, dreading to think what Sam 'pulling out all the stops' would be like.

His phone buzzed and he looked at it. "Sorry, I really have to go. I need started with booking this thing!"

"It's not booked?"

"If there's one thing I've learned with you, it's to not try and 'take over'. I would never have booked this without asking first. But now that you've said you're coming the clock's ticking so I'll get Maddie straight onto it!"

"Sam you don't have-"

He put his finger to his lips. "Shhh! It's done. And now I have to go."

After a quick glance at his watch Sam ran upstairs before she could say anything more and said his goodbyes to Chey. He made his way back down the stairs slowly, deep in conversation. As he reached Mercedes he ended the call and tilted her chin up so that he could brush her lips with his softly. "Missing you already!"

She gave him a shy smile that he responded to with another kiss while enveloping her in his arms. "I know I promised to behave but now I'm starting to regret committing myself to something that I'm not sure I'll be able to stick to..." His hands slid lower down her back until they reached her ass and she laughingly pushed them off. She had to. Because if she didn't, there was every chance that Chey would come down the stairs and find them in a compromising position right there in the hallway!

She could do this! She was strong!

That afternoon Chey wanted to watch a DVD. She still had one of her Christmas gift from Sam. A DVD of Annie because she still hadn't watched it. Chey dozed off half way but she stayed wide away paying rapt attention to daddy Warbucks and his relationship with Grace. Why hadn't she watched this before? It answered so many questions!

The next day was fun. She took Chey with her when she went to see Kurt who was formally introduced to her daughter for the first time. He showed her round the offices and explained a lot of the tasks that needed doing. He listened with rapt attention at some of the suggestions she had and promised that as soon as she was back from her holiday they would meet more formally. The afternoon was shopping. From the sleek tinted windows of the car they were being driven around in they watched the world go by. Chey was completely in her element with the shopping, making purchases left right and center, everything charged directly to Sam. Chey was allowed to buy what she liked but Mercedes had stricter instructions. As well as swimsuits for the day she needed dresses for the evenings. Was Sam planning to take her out on a date every night or something? There was no way of telling.

And then suddenly, as Chey said, it was just 'one sleep', then it was time to go. Just like with the Disney trip they were driven to the airport and boarded the private jet. It was only when Sam met them on board that she learned of their destination. The Caymans!

Grand Cayman was beautiful and they were driven to a secluded chalet which turned out to be more like a mansion. It was beautiful, spacious and right on the beach. After showing them their (separate) rooms Sam went to make some calls while Mercedes decided to explore. Chey was anxious to hit the beach and play on the sand so that's exactly what they did. They were walking quietly when a tall handsome black man came towards them. Mercedes looked at him warily and made sure that Chey was in sight. Sam had assured her that this was a private residence so they shouldn't have to deal with anyone external but here was a man on the beach, walking around as if he owned the place.

She pulled on the straps of her swimsuit and tightened her sarong, suddenly feeling exposed in front of the stranger who was making a beeline towards them. As an automatic protective response she stepped closer to where Chey was. The man had a stupid grin and stopped right in front of them, holding out his hand. "You made it! Hope you had a good flight!"

"Um. Yeah. Thanks!"

Chey was just staring and Mercedes didn't really know what to say.

"Hey! Stop chatting up my woman!" Out of nowhere Sam had appeared and rudely shoved the man, causing him to take a step back.

Mercedes opened her mouth but before any sound came out the man had whacked Sam on the arm before pulling him into a warm 'bro' hug and the two men laughed. She stood, confused as the men then greeted each other warmly. "I didn't think you would be here right now!" Sam was saying.

"Well where else would I be at this time of year?"

"True. Hadn't thought of that. I still think you're just trying to check up on me though." Sam turned to Mercedes. "Mercedes, this is Anthony Rashad, good friend of mine and owner of the home we're staying in."

Mercedes gulped. "Rashad? As in one of _the_ Rashads?" The Kardashians could eat their hearts out because the Rashads were the _real _superstar family with the funds to go with it. Real fame doesn't need a TV show.

"Yep. At least I was the last time I checked." He held out his hand to her. "But you can call me Tony. And as you know from my name, I'm _far_ richer than Sam."

She offered her hand and he took it and kissed the back. "Sam didn't do you justice when he described your beauty. When you get tired of him just look me up. We can have some real fun out here!"

Sam glared at his friend who just laughed.

Tony wasn't nearly as creepy as he initially made himself out to be. The Cayman home was one of many that he had but it was one of his favorites because of the weather. He hit it off with Chey and now that Mercedes knew who he was and trusted him she left her with him, in plain sight of the window where he showed her the different marine plants as she unpacked their bags.

"You don't need to unpack, we're only staying here one night." Sam stepped behind her and kissed her neck.

"One night? Then where do we go?"

Sam smiled mysteriously. "I told you I was pulling out all the stops for this trip. Just wait and see and enjoy!" But Mercedes wasn't great with surprises and deep down it bugged her. First the formal clothing, then the hanging out with another multimillionaire. But walking with the sand beneath her feet was definitely worth it on its own!

Sam still remained elusive about what the rest of their trip entailed and Tony broke out into fits of laughter when Sam eventually caved to her questioning and told her that 'they were going to go on a boat ride tomorrow'.

The rest of the day was spent with Tony at his home,mrelaxing on the beach, barbequing freshly caught fish and enjoying the good life.

* * *

"Look at the boat mommy!"

Mercedes _was _looking at the boat. Sam had finally succumbed to her requests for further detail and said that they were going on a yacht. What he didn't say was where exactly a yacht stops being a yacht and starts being a damn cruise ship! Because it was beautiful, just like a smaller version of a cruise ship. There was someone in a formal suit that headed from the boat down the pier towards them and Mercedes started to get a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. He smiled at Tony and held out is hand. "Mr Rashad. Good to see you again!"

"Charlie! Always a pleasure."

He turned to Sam. "Mr Evans, welcome back. I hope that you find everything as you requested it."

Sam grinned. "I'm sure it will be."

He then turned to Mercedes and Chey and offered his hand to both of them. "I'd like to welcome you ladies aboard the Aurora Princess. My name is Charlie and I'll be your captain for this cruise. Is this your first time on a yacht?"

Mercedes simply nodded, speechless. When the hell would she even have been on a yacht in her previous life? Chey was equally in awe. Finally she turned to Sam. "You have a yacht?"

Sam shook his head with a grin. "What would a New Yorker want with a yacht?"

Tony cleared his throat. "Actually, it's mine. Sam's borrowing it for a few days although I have to admit, if I knew it was for a lady as fine as you I would have cut out the middle man and got you to come sailing with me instead!"

Sam shot him another warning glare which was promptly ignored as Tony moved in far too close to Mercedes for his liking while he continued to speak. "This is my precious baby. I don't just lend her out. Sam here has called in a huge favor and I can see now why he feels that it's worth it."

Sam put his arm around Mercedes' waist and pulled her fractionally closer. "My family is always worth it. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. Anyway, this is where I love you and leave you."

Mercedes frowned. "You're not coming with us?"

"Nope. Sam doesn't want me cramping his style and I don't blame him. I'm a simple man. As long as I've got my hammock, my ice cold beer and a beautiful woman in my line of sight I'm happy." He turned to Mercedes. "Just remember, if he screws up, just holler and I'll be here to show you what a real man can do for you!" Laughing off Sam's death glare, he pulled him into another macho one armed hug then stayed on the pier as he watched them cross the gangway and board.

Mercedes clutched tightly onto Chey's hand and Sam could sense her anxiety. "It's perfectly safe. Chey won't fall. But if you want, I can have Charlie go through all the safety stuff first and have a word with Chey before we do the grand tour. I think it would make a greater impression coming straight from him."

She nodded gratefully. Sam seemed to be reading her mind a lot recently. She didn't want to come across as the overprotective stressed out parent, but she knew how crazy Chey got when she was excited, how fast she could run and how she had the remarkable ability all children possessed of forgetting warnings within seconds of being told them. Plus she was still in awe of the vessel. When Sam had told them they were going on a yacht she had genuinely imagined in her head that it was a small boat with sails that they would take a ride for a couple of hours on. Watching a couple of stewards bringing their luggage on board she realized that this was going to be a full on cruise.

The first thing Charlie did was introduce his nineteen year old daughter Callie. She was currently on a gap year before college, learning all things boats and was along for the ride, as well as to be on hand to help keep Chey occupied. She then helped him run through all of the safety procedures, explain the location of lifeboats and life jackets. He explained directly to Chey the seriousness of why it was important _never _to go on deck without an adult and _never_ to run or go too close to the sides on any of the decks. She looked at him wide eyed and seriously with an expression of rapt attention and concentration on her face that made Sam want to smile. If Mercedes was giving her this drill there was no way that she would be paying the same kind of attention.

Next came the tour of the boat. It was huge. Four floors with a dining room, deck dedicated for sunbathing, hot tub on the upper deck and even a recreation room. There were eight bedrooms that she saw, some of which were being used by staff, and there were more rooms on a lower level that they didn't even get to see as they were simply more staff and engineering quarters.

Mercedes had been given the master bedroom. It was huge and aside from the view from the window it could have been any luxury hotel room. Tony clearly used this room to impress and it had its own ensuite with a private hot tub and entertainment system which could be watched from the tub. The other rooms were impressive. Chey had a room next to Mercedes. It was smaller and not so filled with technology but just as luxurious. Callie's room was next to Chey.

Sam's room was on the next level down. He didn't say anything but she suspected he chose for it that way to avoid temptation. She was already regretting the promise that they had made to each other and didn't doubt that he was too. Her reasons for it were good, but she was only human after all!

They also met the staff, eight in all, including the first officer, kitchen staff and the young stewards, one of whom was totally smitten with Callie and it seemed pretty clear that she felt the same way.

The next few days were pure bliss. It didn't take much prompting for her to call Anthony Hamilton and postpone her studio visit for a couple of extra days. They lived the high life, cruising the Caymans. They either relaxed on board or docked in various places for activities. Mercedes visited spas while Sam took Chey fishing as promised. They also did swimming and the sight of Mercedes in her swimsuits made Sam regret going along with her request of no 'funny business'. She had a body made for sin and it was on display and out of bounds at the same time!

Chey was enjoying herself although she was also starting to play up. Usually when they were out she they would all hold hands with her in the middle but now that they were holding hands with each other she was making a big deal of choosing to hold her dad's hand rather than her mom's. If Mercedes was sat on Sam's lap she would try to climb on too so that he would end up having to have one of them on each knee. Mercedes and Sam did discuss whether or not to speak to Chey about what was going on between them, but decided, as it was still such early days, they would say nothing until there was something concrete to say. It was inevitable that she would bombard them with questions and they needed to be prepared for it. But she still enjoyed all the fuss she was getting. Callie adored her and they spent time having fun together. Sam also made sure to have quality time with her. They went fishing as promise, as well as fishing, bike riding and wildlife spotting in deserted areas. Having the yacht meant that they were well away from the crowds which is precisely what both of them wanted.

Evenings were spent with Sam once Chey was asleep. Every night they would dress up and go out for a meal in the most expensive and exlusive places if they were docked. If they were at sea their meals were cooked to order by the chef. The dining room remained untouched as they would sit on the deck and eat their meal at a table for two under the stars. So far she had avoided the gift giving but now she was going to have to accept it. Sam wanted to buy her everything from everywhere. Chey already had an extra suitcase worth of goodies but her gifts from Sam had a far more personal touch.

On the penultimate night Sam handed her a box. Her hand shook as she took it. Anything jewelry-like made her nervous. She didn't want him to think that she was one of _those_ women. Opening it nervously she was surprised to see it was a necklace. The chain wasn't too thick and was something she would actually wear. Hanging from the chain was the letter 'M'. It was encrusted. This being Sam she didn't doubt that they were Swarovski crystals.

Her eyes welled up. "Sam it's-"

"Don't say anything, just accept it. I wanted to give you something that was actually _you_ rather than something with a heart on it that you would hate."

She reached up and kissed him. "Thanks Sam. I love this." Fingering the chain she sighed softly. "It's really me and I appreciate it but this has to stop Sam. So far it's been this trip, the meals, the jewelry... as well as this there's the earrings from yesterday, the bracelet from the day before and the pocket diary. You already know that I care for you. You don't need to buy my affection. It's Sam I'm wanting to spend time with, not his money but the man himself. They guy who does his best to make pancakes so I can have breakfast in bed and who does coloring with his daughter because it makes her happy." She touched his chest and placed her hand over his heart. "I'm not with for your money. I'm with you for who you are. I'm with you for _this._"

Sam took his hand and covered hers with it with a smile. "Trust me Mercy, you already have this."

The final night they had an early beach barbeque dinner with Chey. Sam then told her to dress up smart and meet in on the larger of the decks.

When she got there, there was a small table set with two seats and two glasses of champagne. She sat at the table, lost in thought as she sipped her champagne and played with the single red rose that had been left on the table for her. She was so caught up that she nearly didn't hear the sound of his voice. "Mercedes?"

"Yes?" She looked up and gasped. Sam was standing there looking ridiculously handsome. He had changed from his casual clothes from earlier and was now wearing smart slacks, a shirt and a tuxedo jacket . The shirt was open at the neck and there was no tie but it looked sexy has hell. His hair was neatly groomed and he smelled masculine. And to top it off he was staring at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Mercedes, I-" He appeared to lose his words for a few seconds as he cast his eyes appreciatively over her and her outfit. It was the little black dress with the sexy cleavage that she'd saved for the final night. She'd teamed it with silver heels and the necklace that he had given her the night before. "I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you look and…" He held out his hand to her "Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"

She looked at his outstretched hand, up to his earnest face and then back down to his hand again. Somehow there was music playing. She hadn't heard it before but now she could hear it clearly.

"I'd love to." Her hand was in his and she was already standing before she could finish the words, her eyes on his and his on hers. He stepped backwards, leading her into the middle of the moonlit deck before pulling her into an embrace, molding their bodies together as they began to sway.

_Don't ask me  
What you know is true,  
Don't have to tell you  
I love your precious heart_

_I-  
I was standing,  
You were there,  
Two worlds collided  
And they can never tear us apart!_

_We could live  
For a thousand years  
But if I hurt you  
I'd make wine from your tears_

_I told you_  
_That we could fly_  
_Coz we all have wings_  
_But some of us don't know why_

_I-  
I was standing  
You were there  
Two worlds collided  
And they could never ever tear us apart_

The instrumental solos saw Sam swirling with her in his arms, dipping her dramatically and making her feel like a princess.

The rising of the sun found them still together, sat on the deck, staring out to sea, his jacket draped over her shoulders and his arms wrapped around her. Tomorrow they were going home and they didn't want this moment to end. _Today_ they were going home.

They still didn't want it to end. It was impossible keeping their make out session PG-13.

"We'd better go inside." It was Sam who finally found the strength to say the words that they had both been avoiding. Every atom of Mercedes' being screamed to contradict him but she couldn't because she knew that he was right. Reluctantly she disentangled herself from his arms and allowed him to help her to get up.

They walked in silence, hand in hand, back to her room. Once outside the door he kissed her softly one last time but she refused to let him disentangle himself from her. "Stay?"

Her voice was quiet, but she definitely said it. She knew the potential consequences and still she wanted it. So did he. But they had worked too hard to throw it away at the last hurdle. With the greatest reluctance in the would he shook his head. "Not like this."

She wanted to be upset but she couldn't be. Because he was right and she was weak. They had come so far, too far to be irresponsible about it at this point. "I know." With one final lingering smile and glance she disappeared into the room and shut the door behind her.

_Dammit! She was ready. She was MORE than ready!_

It was only a couple of hours before Chey was up and Mercedes was glad that Callie was around to distract her. By the time Mercedes was fully awake they had docked at Grand Cayman and were ready to disembark.

Chey was sad to leave the boat but excited to go back on the plane. She watched movies while Mercedes and Sam dozed after their late night.

"Is daddy coming home with us?" _Good question_. Mercedes looked expectantly at Sam who shook his head. "I should get home myself. I have somewhere I need to be early in the morning. And you're going to the office to see Kurt aren't you."

She sighed. Yes she was. Any other time she would have been excited to see Kurt. But, well, he was gay and Sam _wasn't _and she had needs that needed to be met sometime soon. Sam being the only man who could ever meet them. "Of course." She knew she sounded miserable giving her answer but she couldn't help it.

Sam couldn't meet her eyes so he turned to Chey. "But maybe we can do something together the next day when mommy goes to the studio."

Mercedes forced herself to brighten up. "Sure. She's spending the day with mom. I'm sure you guys can come up with something for Chey that day. She'll be missing you like mad at that point."

"There'll be a lot of missing like mad at that point. We've just stepped out of a dream and back into reality."

Touching down in New York there were two cars waiting for them and it was suddenly time to part ways. The watched as Chey ran ahead to greet Carl. Sam brushed his fingers against hers and they linked hands. "So when are we going to see each other again?" Sam exhaled slowly. "We've been pretty full on these last few days and I'm scared I haven't given you space to breathe. I keep thinking about what you said about me pulling out all the stops and how that's not necessarily the way to impress you."

"Hey I wasn't saying-"

"I know. What I mean is that I've been coming on crazy strong and I need to leave you with a little bit of breathing space so that I don't overwhelm you. Take tomorrow to chill, spend time with Quinn, do something relaxing then we can meet up the next day. You'll have just spent the day with Anthony Hamilton and I'll want to know all about it!"

"A whole day without seeing you suddenly seems like a really long time."

"I know. But it's probably good not to make things too intense right now. We've just spent pretty much every moment of ten days together."

He made sense. It didn't mean that she had to like it though. "So the day after tomorrow then." They had reached Carl's car and were watching him load her bags into the trunk.

"Yep. The day after tomorrow. We can survive that long. It'll give you enough time to miss me."

"I miss you already."

"That's good to know." He leaned forward and planted a very small gentle kiss on her lips.

"Eeew!" A rather unimpressed Chey was looking them with a disapproving face and Mercedes flushed. Sam quickly let go of her hand to pick Chey up and plant a sloppy kiss on her nose which made her giggle.

"You be a good girl for mommy okay?"

She shot him _that_ wide eyed melting look that took every ounce of his reserve to resist. "You're not coming back with us?"

"Not this time baby." _But hopefully sometime soon that's gonna change._

Mercedes shyly promised to text Sam as soon as she got back and they spent the evening messaging back and forth, missing each other's company far more than it was comfortable to admit.

* * *

The knock on her front door the next morning initially confused Mercedes and she was all set to ignore it when it happened again, louder this time. Taking what she had thought was a discreet glance out of the window, she was met with the grinning face of Santana. Her address was a closely guarded secret and she could only have got it from one of two people.

"How the hell did you find out where I live Santana?"

The Latina shrugged. "I had to hurt Kurt." She answered dismissively but Mercedes instantly made a mental note to check Kurt was okay. She didn't mind Santana knowing where she lived but also knew that Kurt was a stickler for the rules and had clearly been instructed to give her details to nobody, whoever they might be. It wouldn't have been pretty.

Santana was already inside with her shoes off. "Nice house!"

"Thanks!"

Her friend looked at her hard. "Damn! Somebody has a serious case of blueballs. I was _not_ expecting that!"

"What?" She didn't know whether to be shocked or outraged at the statement. In all honesty she was too embarrassed to react but even if her friend noticed she didn't acknowledge it.

"After your honeymoon with Trouty I was expecting you to barely be able to walk with an 'I've been fucked every which way til Sunday' expression on your face, but there's not even a bite!"

She reached forward, pulling at Mercedes' collar before she had chance to move away, exposing the one mark Sam had left as they had watched the sun rise on the deck of the yacht. "Hmmm. You guys scared me for a second. I thought I was going to have to call him and get him to see you right."

"What are you on about?"

"I'm talking about you guys making the transition from eye sexing to hot sticky sweaty _coito_!"

Mercedes cast her eyes down but she wasn't going to let up. "I worked like a fiend to put you in a dress that was designed to be guaranteed to make Sam so hard he'd rip it off before the night ended. Then that stupid cockblocking liar put paid to that. He'll wish he kept his stupid mouth shut when I finish with him! Anyways, I need coffee! Which way is the kitchen?"

Mercedes barely opened her mouth to respond when Chey came running. "Aunty Tana! We went on holiday!"

Santana received her effusive hug with delight. "Oooh. Exciting! Did you have fun?"

Chey's curls bounced like coiled springs as she nodded. "We played in the sand and went fishing and stayed on a boat. But mommy and daddy kept leaving me behind so they could kiss!" She scrunched her little nose and narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at her mom who was mortified. "Chey!"

The girl refused to budge from her 'hand on hip' stance, spurred on by Santana's laughter.

"Aha, now the truth comes out!"

"Cheyenne! Mommy and aunty Tana are talking! Go back upstairs and finish your coloring!"

"But mom! She asked-"

"And you answered. We're coming upstairs in a bit so go and finish what you were doing!"

Chey opened her mouth to protest again before deciding against it. There were other ways of winding mommy up.

As she frothed the milk for Santana's coffee, Mercedes had to ask if there had been anything else in the media about her. Sam had been very careful to limit the amount of time she had spent searching the news.

Santana rolled her eyes at the question. " No need to be paranoid _chica. _It's all, what the fuck is a Mercedes Jones? Right now there's a Justin Bieber, Nikki Minaj sex tape being drip fed to the media!"

Mercedes screwed up her face at the idea of it. "Ugh! Gross! And is that even legal?"

"Apparently so." Santana shook her head slowly. "Doesn't make it right tho." She pulled out her cell and started texting as she continued to speak, "An anonymous source says they'll release a new position each day for a week. So far we're on day 4 and he still hasn't hit that fake ass from behind!"

"Santana!"

She shrugged. "What? Right now, if you want shade go to Mariah. She's giving it a 'total eclipse of the sun' over Nikki at the moment. Justin's done better. Not only has he already given his fans a much bigger apology than the one he gave for the little 'smoking' incident, the whole world now knows that the guy gives surprisingly good dick, and he's hiding a pretty tight ass under those saggy pants of his!"

"Santana!"

"So in conclusion, you're not even old news, you're non news!"

Mercedes felt relieved. It was what Sam had been telling her over and over, but it was still reassuring to hear it from somebody else.

"So what's the deal with you guys anyway?"

She smiled. "We're just seeing where this goes. No rush."

Santana just stared at her with a 'what the hell' expression on her face. "You know what Mercedes. Considering I have a big mouth I try not to interfere but I have to tell you, Sam is my friend, and he is crazy into you. Like in all the years I've known him I've never seen him like this about anyone."

Mercedes smiled shyly. "And let me guess, he sent you over here to tell me this."

"Nope. I think he's actually actively avoiding my calls at the moment. I think the last time we spoke I may have upset him. But I only say things because I care and I speak the truth. Plus, I've found someone that makes me happy and I want to share the love."

"You mean Brittany?"

Santana grinned stupidly. "Who would have thought Sam's stuffy lawyer would be such a hot piece of ass! We're just 'Seeing where this goes. No rush.'" Santana held up her fingers for the quote marks as she did her impression of Mercedes and pretended not to see her roll her eyes.

"Come on, let's go find Chey. She needs to get ready for me to take her to mom's."

Santana followed her up the stairs, carefully clutching her drink. "Yep. And I need you to tell me all about what it's like to hang out in Anthony Hamilton's studio!"

"That's tomorrow. I'm seeing my mom and Quinn tonight! And before that I'm seeing Kurt and I will be making sure that you didn't hurt him too badly!"

* * *

The next day she had the time of her life. Anthony himself insisted on showing her around and even let her play around with some demo sounds. By the end of the afternoon she had the opening offer of vocals on one of his album tracks and although she was adamant she no was no longer desiring a career in the music industry, the opportunity to do something like that was far too good to be passed up lightly.

Somehow time had run away with her. She had planned to pick Chey up to take her home but as it was so late her mom said that Chey could sleep over. She still insisted on heading over for a kiss on the way home anyway.

Chey was already half asleep by the time she got there and she was glad she wasn't getting her child up to have to put her back to bed. Dionne was smiling, more than usual, and it put Mercedes slightly on edge.

"Have you heard from Sam today honey?"

"Not since this morning. Why?"

"It's just that he's organized some sort of surprise for you. I tried to call but your phone was off so I gave him the spare key to your house. He said he needed to set something up and I didn't think you'd mind, now that he stays over and you went on holiday and everything."

The idea of Sam alone in her house did make her frown. What kind of a surprise was he planning for her? If she got home to a sea of rose petals or a flock of doves she would lose her shit. They'd already had the conversation about him trying too hard but maybe he wasn't getting it. "It's fine mom. It'll be good to see him tonight."

"That's what I thought. He spent time with Chey today and they were talking about you."

"I hope they were saying good things."

"Yep. All good things." Dionne stared at her intently. She'd given Mercedes a good grilling when she got back from her trip but it was only through looking directly at her daughter's face that she felt she got the true answers. That Sam was smitten was a foregone conclusion but Mercedes was a defensive girl at the best of times and after the shock of the mistletoe kiss, she had watched her daughter like a hawk and concluded that she was attempting to run from the inevitable.

Artie waved at her from his seat in front of the TV and Dionne pulled her into an embrace which was clearly out of character for her. "You should get back. He didn't leave that long ago and you look tired."

Mercedes could have argued with her mother about the statement of her looking tired but she really couldn't be bothered. She genuinely was and the thought of Sam planning something extravagant was exhausting. She really did want to see him, but would infinitely prefer a quiet night in front of the TV like her mom and Artie were planning rather than getting dolled up and having to be sociable going out.

It was quite disconcerting to see a light on when she approached her home and she couldn't help but feel there was an invasion of her personal space. It was only Sam, but she was still so used to everything on her own.

By the time she parked up and went in she was bursting with curiosity while swallowing down a sense of dread for what she might find.

"Mercedes?" His voice came from the dining room and she immediately followed the sound. When she was met with was totally unexpected. Sam was there, in jeans and a shirt looking relaxed and at home. The dining table was set for two and there were candles lit on it. Across one plate was a single red rose like the one she'd had on the yacht on the final night.

He immediately came round and wrapped his arms around her, tilting her chin for a kiss that started small but ended far more intensely. Reluctantly he pulled back. "I missed you. How was your day?"

"It was amazing!"

"I can't wait to hear all about it."

She stared up at him. "Are you going to tell me what's going on first?"

"Sure. I hope you don't mind but your mom thought it would be okay for me to come in." He pulled back and took the bottle of wine from the cooler in the middle of the table and poured a glass for Mercedes. "You said that you enjoyed me pulling out all the stops but you also wanted to spend time with me being 'just Sam' so here I am! I wanted to cook for you but I got scared I would burn the place down but there's this great place that makes food in their kitchen and delivers it ready for you to serve in your own dishes. It's cheating in a huge way, but I assure you that even if the sauce is bought in, the pasta is being boiled by yours truly." He smiled as he watched her sip her wine and it was infectious. "Tonight there's no gimmicks. It's just you, me and Woody."

Mercedes giggled. "Woody?"

Sam pointed towards the farthest wall and she noticed a guitar propped up against it. "I named my guitar Woody when I was a kid."

"Are you going to serenade me?"

He smile shyly. "Yeah. Maybe. If you're good. I'm nowhere near as good as you but I want tonight to be about simplicity and honesty and singing always helped me to feel like that. But for now, I need you to just take your glass of wine, freshen up after your long day and meet me down here in five minutes for dinner. Is that okay?"

No work? Of course it was okay with Mercedes. She nodded and accepted his peck on the cheek before trotting up the stairs. Five minutes later she was on her way down. She had changed out of the jeans and shirt that she had worn to the studio and slipped into a fuschsia colored stretchy cotton dress that fell just above the knee.

She looked at her shoes then decided to just go back down barefoot. A quiet candle lit dinner at home with Sam where she didn't even have to wear shoes? Hell that was more than okay! After applying lipgloss and swirling her hair and holding it up with a chopstick she was ready to go back down.

Sam was dishing up pasta when she returned and he let out a low whistle of appreciation at the sight of her. "Come here!" He stopped what he was doing so that he could kiss her and run his hands over her body. It was sexy. Very sexy. And she was finding it hard to resist. But they were supposed to be eating.

The food was good, very good. Sam had cooked the pasta perfectly without overdoing it and he served it with seasoned chicken breast and arribiata sauce. There was also focaccia bread which he had obviously finished in the oven. It was all delicious and she tried hard not to think of the overload of carbs that were hitting her body.

Throughout the meal they talked and laughed. She told him all about her day and he confessed to her that he had been jealous seeing them perform together at the gala until Holly had reassured him that Anthony Hamilton was a happily married family man. Mercedes looked at him as if he was a fool and he simply hung his head in shame. It was just what Mercedes needed. The man sat next to her wasn't a multimillionaire businessman. He was just a guy in casual clothing trying hard to impress the woman he likes. And it was working. It was perfect, exactly what she needed. A quiet relaxing evening in with the man she lov- cared deeply about. Where the hell had the L word sprung from in the back of her brain?

Dessert was an alcoholic lemon mousse. It was light and refreshing after the heavy pasta meal. Whatever company he had used was definitely a good one because the food was delicious and totally spot on.

They talked and drank a little more before she felt her eyes drifting to the guitar propped up against the wall. Sam followed the movement of her head and took a deep breath. "I guess it's time."

Taking a chair he placed it against the wall. He then took a second chair and put it facing the first and indicated for her to sit in it. Once she had, he took the other seat and rested the guitar on his thigh. "I wanted to sing for you that night we went to karaoke but I got distracted by your amazing voice. My voice isn't nearly as good as yours, and the song isn't mine either, but the sentiments are. I'll always remember when we went to Disney and you told me about your life. You said something that struck a chord in me. You said that your first boyfriend made you feel desired and wanted. Well that's what I want to do for you too. I know that no amount of money can buy a feeling, but there's something I want to sing to you that will hopefully help you be able to see, without all the bells and whistles, just how I feel about you."

Mercedes didn't know what to say. She had never been serenaded like this before. Instead she clasped her hands together tightly and waited with baited breath as his fingers began to strum a tune. And as the words began, he closed his eyes as he sang.

_You know I'd fall apart without you  
I don't know how you do what you do  
'Cause everything that don't make sense about me  
Makes sense when I'm with you  
_  
His voice was good, really good. And the song had a country lilt which probably sent him straight back to Nashville in his head.

_Like everything that's green, girl, I need you  
But it's more than one and one makes two  
Put aside the math and the logic of it  
You gotta know you're wanted too  
_  
For the chorus he opened his eyes and sang directly to her with a smile.

_'Cause I wanna wrap you up  
Wanna kiss your lips  
I wanna make you feel wanted  
And I wanna call you mine  
Wanna hold your hand forever  
And never let you forget it  
Yeah, I, I wanna make you feel wanted  
_  
Mercedes shivered. The song was amazing and his voice was haunting.

_Anyone can tell you you're pretty, yeah  
And you get that all the time, I know you do  
But your beauty's deeper than the make-up  
And I wanna show you what I see tonight..._

_When I wrap you up_  
_When I kiss your lips._  
_I I wanna make you feel wanted_  
_And I wanna call you mine_  
_Wanna hold your hand forever_  
_And never let you forget it_  
_'Cause, baby, I, I wanna make you feel wanted_

His eyes closed tightly again as he sung the chorus once more with a voice full of passion.

_As good as you make me feel  
I wanna make you feel better  
Better than your fairy tales  
Better than your best dreams  
You're more than everything I need  
You're all I ever wanted  
All I ever wanted_

_And I just wanna wrap you up_  
_Wanna kiss your lips_  
_I wanna make you feel wanted_  
_And I wanna call you mine_  
_Wanna hold your hand forever_  
_And never let you forget it_  
_Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted_  
_Baby, I wanna make you feel wanted_

_You'll always be wanted_

As he finished the song she remained silent, her eyes filled with tears of appreciation.

"So what do you think?"

She said nothing. There were no words to express what she was feeling right now. Instead she rose from her seat and approached him, gently lifting the guitar from his hands and gently resting it back against the wall. Then she took each of his hands and softly kissed them before climbing onto his lap, her dress riding up her thighs as she straddled him and cradled his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You make me feel wanted Sam. And you make me want you."

She kissed him then, and her meaning was more than clear. He opened his mouth to receive her tongue and responded back with equal fierceness. All the restraint that they had showed on their holiday was now gone and all that was left was pure hunger as they devoured each other's mouth. There was no gently probing, that part of their foreplay had already been done many times over. All that was left was the passion that had been threatening to boil over for so long.

Mercedes pressed herself closer to him, her breasts crushed against his chest and her hips rocking against his, causing him to groan. The fact that her legs were spread to straddle him meant that her panty clad pussy was pressed directly onto his crotch. His hand rand up her exposed thigh, causing her to shudder and kiss him even harder. She was so turned on that she was practically dry humping him now. Running his hand under her dress and onto her ass made her release a whimper and press even harder against him.

This right here was not going to work! A quick swipe of his hand between them revealed just how turned on she was and how wet she was already getting and his jeans were getting so tight they were cutting off his circulation and hopes of future fatherhood. And after his first time with Mercedes, he sure as hell wasn't going to let his second 'first time' with her happen on a dining room chair!

In one smooth moment Sam stood and lifted her, carrying her across the room.

"Sam I'm hea-" He was having none of that argument. He had been enjoying holding on to her ass as she clung to his front but he had a better idea. Shifting her as if she were completely weightless he managed to throw her over his shoulder into a fireman's lift. She squealed and began to punch his back with her fists but he already had a firm grip on her behind her knees and had no intention of releasing her unless it was onto her bed. Now that she was in that position with her ass over his shoulder he could smell her arousal and it was making his mouth water.

Keeping a firm hold of her he blew out the candles and shut the dining room door as he exited. Next he went to the kitchen and made sure everything was off before turning off the light. He practically ran up the stairs and into the guest room where he retrieved the box on condoms he had bought earlier before turning off the hallway light and gently placing Mercedes on her bed, tossing the condoms down next to her. "No excuses, no mistakes."

But the truth was, they had both reached the point where neither of them really cared anymore. Sam's hands were on her ass as she hooked one of her legs around him, her own hands making a complete mess of his hair. They rolled over on the bed, both so desperate to get the other out of their clothes that neither of them were getting undressed very quickly. Sam didn't want to rush, he wanted to take this slow and savor it in a way that he hadn't done the first time round, but they were hungry and desperate. Romance could wait, passion and unrestrained desire had pushed their way to the front of the line after being held back for so long.

"You're so beautiful!" Somehow her dress was gone and so had his shirt and his belt. He was now presented with glorious pillowy breasts in a black lace bra which he fell upon and worshiped with his mouth, the already erect nipples welcoming and calling him while his hands stroked her belly. She stiffened at that touch and it took him a moment to work out why. Her self-conscious expression said it all. Her belly was riddled with stretch marks. He bent his head and ran his lips over them. "Chey put these here. They're a reminder of what we created and what we've achieved. Wear them with pride!"

Looking up at Mercedes he saw a tear escape the corner of her eye and he caught the salty drop with his lips. "I mean it Mercedes. It's a crown of beauty. Wear it with pride. All of this…" He ran his hands down from her shoulders to her thighs "Is beautiful and amazing and _you_. Never feel that you have to change any of this for me, because I already love what's here."

He settled in between her thighs as he removed her bra completely and got to work on her breasts. He was like a child learning about texture through his mouth, using all of his senses to get to know her and really feel her. He wanted to take her time but she had other plans. Mercedes wanted him. Mercedes needed him. And she needed him _now. _She was already turned on. He had no more work to do. She just needed him to quench that fire which he had lit in her loins since the night he had moved to London.

"Sam?"

He knew what she was asking and was more than willing to give it to her. He reached for the box and took a packet, carefully ripping the foil between his teeth and sheathing himself before looking Mercedes in the eye. They were inky pools of desire and he moved his lips to hers before lining himself up against her. After their previous session his fingers knew exactly where to go and within seconds he was pressing himself into her, listening to her slow exhale and he sank deeper and deeper into her heat. Yes she'd had a child but it had been seven long years and right now she was as tight as a born again virgin. Of course there was the fear his size was making her uncomfortable but her hands were on his hips and ass guiding him deeper.

As it had been so long for her he had decided to let her set the pace but he'd had no idea she would set such a punishing one. She bucked back against every single one of his thrusts, driving him deeper, needing to feel every inch of him and welcome him back into her body. Sam adjusted her leg and his hips for a better angle and she let out a deep moan as he pounded into her, their slippery skin slapping together rhythmically. This is what they needed. The most intimate of skin on skin contact. The sating of the weeks of pent up desires.

Suddenly she had pushed him onto his back and she was riding him, eyes closed tight with concentration as she found the exact angle that was perfect for her. And he simply lay back and took it, his hands reaching to grab her ass and help her with her rhythm, letting her take whatever she needed to get maximum pleasure. He felt the change in pressure on his cock just before she came with barely suppressed cry and a quiver. Immediately taking charge of the situation he rolled her onto her back and continued to plow into her, keeping the shudders going until she didn't bother trying to suppress the cries anymore unless he swallowed him himself with his kisses.

Only then did he join her in release, crying out himself before capturing her mouth once more. They lay still for a few moments, silent and basking until it became necessary for him to sort himself out and clean up. Afterwards they lay in silence, pressed close against each other, every available inch of skin touching the other person, one inhaling as the other exhaled and vice versa.

Sam looked into her face. She didn't say anything, it was written all over her expression. So instead of speaking he smiled, kissed her softly, and pulled her chest even closer to his so that he could feel her heartbeat.

And he was happy. She was finally completely his.

* * *

**_The song they dance to on the yacht is 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS and the song Sam sings is called 'Wanted' by Hunter Hayes. If you've never heard that song please check it out. The kid may look about 12 but he has an amazing voice and I can totally see Chord doing justice to it. Plus, like Mercedes I would totally pounce on any man that sings that to me!_**

**_I hope this chapter is okay. I felt we could all do with a bit of Valentine's fluff today. Drama can wait a little while. As I'm not good at juggling two stories at once I'm going to finish The Journey before I update this again as both fics are going to need my full concentration. Hopefully it won't be long as the Journey is already half way through and the remaining chapters should be shorter. _**


	30. Three Little Words

**_This chapter has flashback, dream, reality and hallucination. Hope it still ends up making sense by the end though!_**

* * *

**_Flashback:_**

"_Let's talk about sex."_

"_Huh?" Mercedes thought she had misheard._

"_I said, let's talk about sex!"_

_Mercedes started to chuckle until she looked into the eyes of Dr Zizes and realized that the woman was totally serious._

"_S-sex?" Initial surprise and humor gave way to confusion._

"_Yep. Sex. That most intimate act between a man and a woman that resulted in that precious child that I know you're anxious to go home to."_

_Mercedes paused and frowned. "But I don't get it. What has anything got to do with… that…?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean… well I can understand us talking about relationships. That's very relevant. But why about… you know… the actual…?"_

_Dr Zizes scribbled a few words on to her notepad and Mercedes just _knew _she was passing some sort of judgment on her not being able to say the 's' word, once she'd gotten over the fact that she hadn't misheard. When she stopped writing she simply sat back and looked at Mercedes without a word._

_The woman always did this to her and it didn't help that as usual, she had no idea how she was supposed to respond. _"_I don't get it. What am I supposed to be saying exactly?"_

_Dr Lauren Zizes simply blinked back at her. Mercedes hated when she did that. The woman in the comfy leather seat would ask an impossible question and then wait for an answer. They'd spent almost an entire session in silence once, while Mercedes struggled to put her feelings into words. But when she finally did it was liberating._

_This time there was to be no liberation. She didn't want to talk about sex and she really didn't see the relevance it had to anything else that was going on in her life right now. Sex was a non-factor and that was the way that she intended for it to remain. For the first time in the longest time, her life was on the up. She had a brand new job. It wasn't perfect, but with a three year old at home, beggars couldn't be choosers. She was finally getting the help from a shrink that she probably should have had years ago, and she had managed to wean down her anti-depressants back down to the minimum dose. Once she got through the next couple of sessions with Dr Zizes she would be off them completely and a short while after that her twice weekly sessions would go down to one. She was looking forward to that. All this running around was exhausting and she felt bad relying on her mom and Quinn to cover her for her sessions._

_She started to chip at the polish on her nails while the doctor continued to sit in silence, shifting the glasses further up her nose as she habitually did and looking at her with an expression of anticipation._

Finally she gave up. "_I don't understand what it is that you want me to say!"_

"_Just say what comes to your mind. How do you feel when you hear the word 'sex'?"_

_A frown. _"_How do I feel?"_

_"Yes. It must bring out some kind of a response in you. That would explain why you find it so hard to say the word yourself. Do you see sex in a positive or a negative light?"_

_She thought for a moment. _"_It's just a human function."_

_"That's true. And as a bodily function it can be extended to other mammals too .But that's just pure facts. Is that really what you're thinking when that word is mentioned? Merely a physical act?"_

_Mercedes shrugged._

_"What about emotions? Do you have any emotions connected to the word?"_

_"Emotions?"_

_Again the doctor wrote a few words on her pad. "Many people find that their attitudes to sex are significantly shaped by their first ever experience."_

_"So you want to know if my first experience was good or bad?"_

_"Only if you want to tell me."_

_She chipped a larger piece of polish from her nail. "I have nothing to hide. My first experience was alright."_

_A raised eyebrow. "Alright? Interesting word!"_

_"It was fine. It was the first time for both of us and nobody expects it to be earth shattering the first time."_

_"When you're saying first time for both of you I'm assuming that you're referring to Riley here."_

_"Of course. You already know that he was my first everything." Mercedes stopped talking but had that vibe she always got when she knew she was expected to expand on what she had just said. "Admittedly he didn't last long and it hurt more than I expected it would but we loved each other and knew it would get better and it did." She smiled to herself at the memory. "It definitely did."_

_"So why are you ashamed to talk about it?"_

_"I'm not."_

"_The shame is coming from somewhere. If it's not from Riley, is it to do with your relationship with Shane?"_

_Mercedes bit her lip. It was like the doctor knew what questions to ask and yet how the hell could she _know _what questions to ask when she herself was only just working through thought processes in real time herself? "Sex with Shane was okay…"_

_"Only okay?"_

_"Alright so it was good. But it never had the same intensity of feelings that were there with Riley. Mostly with Shane it felt like we were having sex but with Riley I felt that we were really making love. Does that make sense?"_

_"Perfectly."_

_They both sat in silence for a while. Mercedes didn't know where to go from there until she was prompted. _"_So why did you stay with Shane? You've admitted to me on more than one occasion that deep down you had your suspicions about him, and you knew that the way he treated you wasn't always right. Was it the sex?"_

_Mercedes chocked. It was something like an ironic laugh but not quite. "Definitely not the sex." She sighed. "I know you keep asking me that same question in different guises but the answer is always going to be the same. I truly believed that the good outweighed the bad." Dr Zizes said nothing but her eyebrow raised. Mercedes would have placed money on the fact that it probably happened involuntarily. "I know now that I was wrong and I was only damaging myself and my self-esteem, but there was a lot of change happening in my life and it felt good to keep something constant."_

_Again there was no response for a while ._"_Your first time with Shane?"_

_Mercedes sighed. "It was okay. We'd sort of reached that point in the relationship when it became inevitable although if I'm honest, I probably wasn't 100% ready but it seemed okay at the time so I did it. And it was okay."_

"_What do you mean by okay?"_

"_I mean okay as in… it wasn't bad. Compared to me and Riley the first time it was a huge success but the emotional connection wasn't there."_

_Again there was silence. "So that leaves us with 'that night'."_

_It was like a case of 'all roads lead to Rome'. Mercedes hated talking about the events of that night yet somehow things kept coming back to it. It was like the hub of a wheel and everything else was simply spokes leading out from it. Suddenly she felt annoyed and glared back at the doctor. "What are you trying to get me to do? Rate the how the sex was that night?"_

_Silence._

_"It was just a fumble in the dark."_

_Silence._

_"Alcohol lowered my inhibitions."_

_Silence._

_"It was bad judgment on my part."_

_Silence._

_"I'm not like Shane! It wasn't like me to behave like him!"_

_"So you think that what you did made you just as bad as Shane?"_

_The penny dropped. "So you're saying a lot of my guilt tied up with that night is me comparing my behavior to Shane?"_

_"I didn't say anything. I asked a question about what _you_ thought."_

_Mercedes was taken aback and actually had to stop and think about it for a moment. Shane was a cheater and that made him nothing but a slut in her eyes. The fact that they'd had sex that one last time and she'd enjoyed it so much she hadn't noticed their lack of contraception made her feel tainted. It made her feel slutty too. It was a weakness and her behavior was cheap. That's why she'd bought sexy clothes. That's why she was home early. She'd wanted more sex. She was a slut too! Only she'd caught him whoring himself out in their bed first! "I guess."_

_"But had you set out that night to look for a new sexual partner?"_

_"No! Of course not! I was just out for some fun! Some distraction from my breakup."_

_"But something happened. You met somebody."_

_"I told you. It was a spur of the moment thing. We talked, but not much. We hugged. Then… then_ _IT happened. That all."_

_Silence._

_"What else are you expecting me to say?"_

_Dr Zizes just sat and looked at her before speaking. "So you hugged? That's a new detail. You don't strike me as the type that would let random guys hug you. How come you didn't pull away?"_

_Mercedes closed her eyes and drifted back to that night. "I- I guess I told him to hug me!"_

_The doctor was good at not reacting to shock but she was definitely glad Mercedes' eyes remained tightly shut. This was the first time that Mercedes had given specific details about that night. "You let a complete stranger hold you?"_

_"You already know I was upset. I was the one who asked him to hold me."_

_"And how did it feel when he held you."_

_Mercedes' lips curled into a smile at the memory. "It felt good. It helped."_

_Dr Zizes scribbled notes rapidly onto her pad. "Then what?"_

_"Then he said kind things. Good things. And we kissed."_

_"Did he force you to kiss him?"_

_"Noooo! Not at all. I kissed him first. On the cheek. Then he kissed me on the lips. And I kissed him back, harder. And then… we… you know…"_

_Mercedes' eyes were still closed and she bit her lip._

_Dr Zizes observed her response carefully. "Did it still feel good? Did it help?"_

_"Yeah!" Mercedes's response was fast and breathless._

_"Why?"_

_ Mercedes appeared to break out of her flashback and thud straight back into reality. "Because it felt like he meant it. But I was mistaken. It was nothing to him." Her eyes began to well and she reached for the box of Kleenex on the desk._

_Dr Zizes tapped her pen against her nose. This was a breakthrough of some significance. She just wasn't sure what yet. "Going back to what happened before you felt that he rejected you and dismissed you as 'nothing', you and this man appeared to have some sort of a connection that went beyond the sexual. You told me before that was comforting you because you were crying and today you admitted that you asked him to hug you, something you definitely would not do to a stranger you weren't comfortable with."_

_Mercedes frowned for the millionth time that session. "So what are you trying to say?"_

_"You describe your first experience as 'alright' although admittedly it was your first ever time. You smile when you describe things getting better with your emotional connection. With Shane you describe it as 'okay' and you did it because you felt you should at that point in the relationship. This third guy you barely know but you describe a level of intimacy greater than you've ever mentioned with Shane. Do you think that there may have been some sort of emotional connection there, even though your time with him was brief?"_

_"The guy was a jerk! He dismissed what we did as _nothing_ and he made it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with me or my child!"_

_"And in the moments before then?"_

_"Before when?"_

_"Before he took the call. How did you feel about him then?"_

_"Why does it matter?"_

_"It matters because from our previous sessions it's clear that how you feel about what happened that night has shaped your feelings about future relationships."_

_"I don't need future relationships. I have my daughter. That's enough."_

_Silence._

_"So are you trying to tell me I should go out and find myself a relationship?"_

_"Actually, I don't think you're ready right now. And neither do you. I'm talking about the _potential_ of future relationships."_

_"Potential of future relationships?"_

_"Right now, you're hiding within yourself. The eating, the baggy clothes, the avoiding of male friendships of any kind. You've been using the fact that it you have a child to hide the fact that you're desexualizing yourself."_

_"Desexu-what?"_

_"You're going out of your way to remove anything that is feminine about yourself. I'm not saying that you should walk around dressed as an overtly sexually promiscuous person, but you're keeping yourself firmly at the opposite end of the spectrum. You're punishing yourself for one mistake and I think it's more than just sex that's the issue here. There's a trust issue too."_

_"Trust? Are you saying I don't trust other people?"_

_"I'm saying you don't trust _yourself. _That night wasn't a random hookup. Even with alcohol something like that was not part of your pattern of sexual behavior. Sex for you had always been in the context of a relationship. The fact that you talked and hugged before there was any kind of sexual activity suggests to me that you had established some sort of relationship with this man before you had sex."_

_"Relationship?"_

_"Yes. Some sort of emotional attachment, however small. Piecing together your actions from that night, you could have pushed this man away from you at several points but you didn't. You didn't even really need to engage him in conversation but you did. Communication is as much nonverbal as it is about words."_

_"I know you're a shrink but I really think you're reading too much into this!"_

_"Okay, so I'm reading too much into this. What do you think drew you to this man?"_

_Mercedes paused. "Riley."_

_"Riley?"_

_"He reminded me of Riley."_

_"In what way."_

_"I don't know. It's not that they looked similar, even though they were both white and had green eyes, because their features were very different. It was something about his manner and his way of speaking to me. Like even though I was upset it wasn't a big deal and the way to cure me was to make me smile."_

_"And did he?"_

_"Did who?"_

_"Either of them. Both of them."_

_"Yeah. This guy made me smile. And Riley used to make me smile. And he had this way of looking into my eyes with this expression. I can't explain it. When Riley did it I would often giggle, not because he was being funny, but because it made me feel so emotional that I didn't know how else to react. Does it sound weird to say I felt something when he looked at me?"_

_Dr Zizes shook her head. "No. Not at all."_

_"Good. Because I did. And that's why it hurt so much when for the first time in my life I let myself go and went with my feelings and he dismissed it as nothing. Not only that, but as well as rejecting me he rejected the child that came from that night. It takes a certain kind of heartlessness to do that."_

_"That may well be the case, but we're not here to talk about him, we're here to talk about you and how you're moving on from this."_

_"I'm fine... Sex… see, you can write down that I was finally able to say the word… it's a pretty redundant subject really because I'm not going to be having any. Like you said, I'm not ready for a relationship, and even if I was, nobody's going to want a plus sized single mother!"_

_Dr Zizes grinned. "Taking my doctor's hat off for just a moment, I'll have you know that this particular –even more plus sized than you- single mother, happily gets it on the regular. Those aren't excuses."_

_Mercedes was stunned. Dr Lauren Zizes was a big woman, tall as well as curvy, but she never knew that she was a mother, or that she, well, her expression when she had mentioned getting it on the regular clearly showed that she enjoyed having sex! _

_And the woman wasn't finished. "But there's something about sex, really good sex, and that's the fact that you really have to let yourself go to enjoy it. You did with Riley. You didn't with Shane until that one last time, but then you were so sickened by your behavior and his that you closed yourself up again. Then this stranger comes along and within minutes, connects with you in a way that I would hazard to guess you never really did in the entire course of your previous relationship with Shane and you let yourself go. The problem being, his rejection of you. You opened up and made yourself vulnerable and had it thrown in your face and that's made you reluctant to do that again. It's perfectly understandable. But you will have to let go sometime."_

_"Maybe. But not until I'm ready."_

_"Nobody's asking you to do anything that you're not ready for."_

_"Good. Because sex… For me… From now on… Will only be in the context of love. I've survived all this time without it and I'm fine and content this way. I don't see why I should have to put myself on the line just for a man. If he loves me, he'll wait, and if I love him it won't be a problem. I'm not frigid, but neither am I wasting my time."_

_"So you still believe in love?" _

_"Of course I do. I may have gotten myself mixed up with a couple of sleazeballs but I'm not naïve to dismiss all men as vile. Maybe one day, when Chey is all grown up and independent, I might think about seeing what my options are out there. But for now, she's my focus. I'm happy for my life to be on hold for her and I don't see it being any other way."_

_She watched as Dr Zizes scribbled furiously onto her pad before sitting back and looking at her carefully. "I like that you haven't given up on the idea of love. To do that truly does put a dark cloud on life. We've reached the end of our session for today so we'll have to leave it there, but I'm going to ask you to think more about what we've discussed. Obviously we've unearthed some feelings which may be slightly new for you to explore, and when I see you at the end of the week we'll discuss them further. We won't delve into the past as much as we've done today, instead we'll look to your future. The correlation between love and sex and the boundaries you've set for yourself. Is that okay?"_

_"Sure. That's fine. Thanks for today."_

_"You're welcome. Don't forget to book your next four sessions on your way out."_

* * *

Mercedes lay, lost in thought. She had said way back when she was in therapy that for her, sex would only ever be within the context of love. If she didn't love the guy then he wouldn't be getting any. She'd gone back later that week and reiterated it strongly. Her heart just couldn't handle any more mistakes and despite what anyone said, the guilt of her out of character one night stand would always be with her.

And now here she was, having, for the first time since that fateful night, let a man into her bed and into her body. And not just any man. It was the same one. Dr Zizes would have a field day with this! But the doctor was right. She had formed an emotional connection that night and he had felt it too. Sam wanted to continue what they had started that night and she was in full agreement with him. His arms were firmly wrapped around her and she snuggled closer to him, comfortable in his arms.

She felt the moment that Sam began to stir. The first thing he did, out of pure instinct because he was still mostly asleep, was to pull her in tighter and snuggle. It felt great. She felt warm and she felt loved. At one point, in the frantic rush to remove cockblocking clothing, her brain had caused her to question what she was doing and how she would feel in the morning but it hadn't been necessary. This morning it felt even better than it had the night before. This was right and she knew it. She felt it.

"Mornin' precious..." He was nuzzling along her neck now and the rumble that his voice caused in his chest caused her nipples to harden as they were tightly pressed against it. Heart to heart.

"Hey." Even she was shocked by how shy her voice sounded. But after her behavior last night, grinding him in the chair and riding him like a stallion on the bed, she had no excuse for shyness.

But after enjoying his embrace a few second more she reluctantly began to disentangle herself.

Sam let out a grunt and looked to the pillow where the condoms somehow remained, despite their athletic activity the night before. She knew what he was thinking. She'd been staring at them herself but she needed to sort herself out first. "Sam, I need to freshen up!"

He ran a hand down the smooth skin on her back. "Why? You're fine!"

"I can still taste last night's arribiata in my mouth and it's not so great this morning."

"Hmmmm…" He knew she was right but he didn't have to like it as she pulled away for the second time and he let her. "But you're coming back to bed right?"

"Wild horses couldn't stop me!" Finally swinging herself to sit up, she placed her feet on the floor at the edge of the bed and realized that her robe was over on the vanity chair. She tugged at the sheet to wrap it around her but he held on to it tight. "No need. There isn't anything to see that I didn't already spend last night getting thoroughly acquainted with…"

That may have been true, but walking around naked was something she never done in front of anybody. _Ever_. Yet now she needed the bathroom and had no choice. Willing all her inner strength to carry her through, she stood and began to quickly walk to her ensuite, eyes trained to the floor. The guttural groan of appreciation that came from behind her did wonders. She knew Sam was staring at her ass. He already showed a lot of appreciation for her ass. It helped her hold her head higher and add a sway to her hips as she went.

By the time she returned, the bed was empty and a pang of sadness reached her. The condoms were still on the pillow and one of the packets was open, with the condom lying ready on top of the foil. He couldn't have gone far. By the time she had slipped back between the sheets he was coming through the door wearing nothing but a smile. "I figured I would return the favor." Staring at his naked form, he definitely was. His body was a joy to behold but she couldn't appreciate it properly because her eyes were drawn to the huge erection standing proudly between his legs. She knew he was big, she felt it last night which is why she had chosen to go on top and adjust the depth herself to start off with, but seeing it like that both scared her and made her mouth water at the same time. His cock was long, thick, at full attention and bobbed slightly as he swaggered back to the bed. "No sense in wasting morning wood…"

Mercedes fought back the voice in the back of her head, telling her that she was behaving like a brazen hussy but failed to even notice the fact that she lightly licked her lips as he peeled back the covers and slipped back into bed. It had been a long dry spell and now that her body had been awakened it was unstoppable. There was something about Sam's touch which made her body react without conscious thought. It was like it was tuned into a frequency called Sam Evans and he was in control of the dial. She should tell him to slow down. She should tell herself to slow down. But she didn't. They'd done enough going slowly already. Within seconds he was nestled between her legs, his lips on hers and his hands roaming her breasts, flicking her already painfully swollen nipples. By the time his fingers slipped down to her core she was wet as hell, having been in a sense of anticipation since she'd first opened her eyes that morning.

"Someone's eager!"

She said nothing, reaching for the opened condom. She wanted him. She _needed _him. The damn had been broken and there was no going back. Despite the previous night the feel of Sam was still overwhelming and he seemed to sense that too, entering her slowly and gently while nibbling and kissing her jaw.

"Sam…" She breathed his name as he began to move slowly inside her. This wasn't like last night when they were hungry for each other. This time was calmer and more intense. Sam's movements were slower and more languid and Mercedes opened her legs wider and raised her knees to accommodate him. The feel of him moving inside her was blowing her mind and she was glad that he was taking it slow. It was all about sensation. She could feel every inch of him as he moved, slowly rocking his hips back and forth, pulling out as far as the thick head on his tip before pushing back in deeply and prodding at her spot. The pleasure he was giving her made her quiver and her sighs let him know that he was doing it just right. He kept up that pace for the longest time, making her feel good but leaving her wanting more at the same time. All the while he was still kissing her face and mouth and licking her jaw. If she had opened her eyes she would have seen him staring down at her with an intense expression but she was caught up in the sensation, her body doing things that she had long forgotten about.

"Hmmmm… yes…" She brought her hand up to the back of his neck and into his hair as he continued his movements, her small gasps guiding him to start speeding up slightly.

"Mercedes…" The way he said her name in that voice just did things to her and she could feel herself tighten around him. That triggered him to move faster and she was never going to complain about that as it brought her closer to the orgasm that was starting to feel impossibly out of reach. Taking her hands in his and pinning them above her head he moved faster still and she felt him raise himself up on his elbows. Opening her eyes she stared up at his focused expression until he caught her staring and smiled before kissing her lips gently, his hips still not missing a stroke despite her tightening around him more and more in the new restricted position.

Looking up into his green eyes was overwhelming. "Sam…"He was above her and inside her, not just inside her body but also inside her mind and inside her heart.

As he looked down at her and she could have sworn his eyes shiny eyes were due to the fact that they were slightly welled up. He was coming. She could sense it. She could feel it. His thrusts were ragged now. "Cum with me Sam…"

He stared into her eyes with an expression so warm it made her heart burn in her chest. "Mercedes… Mercedes, I-"

She reached up and captured his mouth with hers. She couldn't let him finish what he was going to say. To let him say it would be to change everything forever. She released his lips with a smack. "Me too…"

Her words were the cue for him to explode inside her and he collapsed on top of her, quivering and grunting. Her own orgasm joined his and she screamed his name as her vision distorted and her legs momentarily lost all sensation.

She was drowsy.

"Mercedes?"

She knew he wanted to talk about it but she wasn't quite ready. She hadn't decided herself what she wanted to do with this feeling and she didn't want to get it wrong and ruin everything. "Hmmm?"

"What are you thinking?"

She smiled. "You mean, apart from _wow_?"

He grinned and turned to plant a small kiss on her temple. "Yeah. Apart from _wow._"

"I was thinking… what should we tell Chey?"

"Good question."

Mercedes snuggled comfortably in his arms again. It felt good to be able to have conversations and know that she wasn't alone in having to deal with this particular hurdle. "She's been playing up."

"I know. We had a little chat when we went fishing about why I don't always hold just her hand anymore."

"And she complained to Santana that we kept leaving her behind on the holiday so that we could kiss."

Sam laughed aloud. "That was once. And she got left behind because she was walking slowly and messing around. It's not our fault we decided to use the time to she took catching up to steal a little kiss."

"Do you think she'll be upset about us being together?"

He shook his head. "Nope. There's a few things she might have to adjust, but I think deep down she ships mommy and daddy being together."

"_Ships? _Are you showing your inner nerd again Sam Evans?"

"The fact that you recognized it means you're in no position to judge!"

"True. But seriously. She has been playing up."

"I know. It think maybe we should sit her down and talk to her about it together. She loves you and she loves me and I'm going to take a liberty and assume that I'll be around a lot more from now on, so she wins from all angles."

"I like that idea. I'm glad we can do stuff like that together now."

"So am I."

"It's good…" Her voice drifted into a yawn and her eyes closed.

"Are you falling asleep on me baby?"

"Mmmmhmmm…" She was drifting and she didn't care…

* * *

It was a dream she had had so many times before. She had needed these dreams when she went through her darkest hours and they were her escape from her reality. For a while they had stopped, out of necessity and because she didn't need them anymore, but now they were back, for a very different reason…

_She could hear the sound of children's laughter. It made her smile because it was her favorite sound in the world. She opened the kitchen window and yelled to the children who were tearing around the yard as if they were on some sort of crazy sugar high, "If you guys don't play together nicely I'm going ban all computer privileges for a week." The noise continued. "And that applies to all of you!" Miraculously the noise suddenly stopped. It was strange how the threat of communal punishment always seemed to have more of an impact than individual ones. The kids had developed a new bad habit of shifting the blame onto each other and the threat of joint punishment was nipping that new idea in the bud._

_Closing the window she smiled. They were so predictable and yet they genuinely believed that they could pull the wool over her eyes with their foolishness. Their father would be home soon and they would suddenly act like angels, giving no indication that they had been running her ragged all day. The sooner the school break was over the better so that it would just be her and the baby again._

_The smile widened as she thought of the green eyed wonder that was the man of her dreams and her husband. Why anyone as amazing as him would fall for her was beyond her comprehension but he had and here they were. She paused stirring the pot on the stove to twirl the wedding band on the third finger of her left hand. The words inscribed inside the ring were also inscribed on her heart. 'Our love grows every day'. It had been years but the statement was nothing but completely true. On the day he had smiled down on her and slipped the ring onto her finger she had thought her heart was going to burst. It wasn't until much later that night, or rather early the next morning while lying in his arms did he tell her to take it off and read the inscription._

_No marriage is perfect and she would be lying if she said there weren't times when she could have poked those damn beautiful eyes out with a pointy stick, especially when he was being overly goofy or intentionally clueless, but those moments didn't lessen her love for him in any way, and all disagreements were always quickly resolved before they became rifts. As she always did in that dream, she would stare into the green eyes and see nothing but love._

* * *

She was sore. But it was a nice sore. When they had woken from their snooze they had made love again, but it wasn't the slow intense unspoken sharing of emotion from earlier. This time the hunger was back with a vengeance. Sam was after her ass and he got exactly what he wanted. Somehow she had fallen asleep on her front and Sam had used the opportunity to kiss the back of her shoulders. She had woken to the featherlight kisses and she enjoyed the gently massage of his exploration of her back as he made his way slowly to her ass. Once there all delicacy was gone. Mr Grabby Hands was back and he was greedy. He had huge handfuls of her ass and was not going to relinquish it. It turned her on like a light switch. Then he followed through with his lips and she swore from that day forward, the phrase 'kiss my ass' was reserved for him and him alone.

By the time he started slipping his hands into her from behind she'd had enough of playing, lifting up onto all fours, grabbing a condom and opening the damn thing herself. She'd had Sam the gentle lover, but this was a reappearance of the man who had relentlessly plowed through her orgasms the night before. He knew how to hit that pussy from behind and she loved it.

Abandon was not a luxury she afforded herself but with Sam she could afford anything. Her inhibitions left the moment he first slapped her ass with one hand while the other was snaked around her hip, supporting her while the fingers played with her clit. It was sensory overload and once Sam placed one foot flat on the bed to maintain his balance and put even more force behind his deep thrusts the bed began to shake in time to their rhythm. It was good. So good. And their shouts as they finally collapsed into their orgasms probably disturbed the neighbors.

_That_ was why she was so sore.

And she didn't regret it.

As Sam released a gentle snore as he spooned her, Mercedes did something she hadn't done for a long time. She let the non-rational side of her head rule. She let her heart rule. For far too long she'd had to be sensible, practical and rational. She had a child. She was a single mother. Her life was no longer hers to do as she pleased and yet the last few months had suspended any sense of reality. She'd felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland or Cinderella. Suddenly, without doing anything she had money, a place of her own to live and a man who was making all her dreams come true, even the ones she had long given up hope on. More than that, this man was crazy about her. And_ even worse than that_, she was crazy about him too.

Proper crazy. Like truly madly deeply kind of crazy.

It didn't make sense. She had tried so hard to deny it and just a flight of fancy on her side but it wasn't. She had it bad. Really bad. And she was done fighting it. Since he had left for Europe and they had shared their moment, she had thought through a million excuses for what had happened and even tried dating someone else to cool what she really felt, but that was a big fat failure, just as she had been once upon a time when she had hit her lowest of lows. And now she was floating on air. Not only was she with a man who was making her feel good, she felt good in herself, _all by herself_.

But there was more. She'd seen it in his eyes and she'd stopped him from putting it into words even though she had agreed with him. She knew he was going to say it but something had stopped her from letting him. He was wonderful, he was amazing, he was everything she could ever want and so much more! And she was in love with him. The admission was finally there. But he had already done so much for her and she wasn't in any kind of a position to do anything for him except for one thing. He had chased her and forced her to see how he felt about her. The least she could do for him would be the first to actually say it. To put a name to it.

To say those three little words.

The rational side of her brain wasn't going down without a fight and was still screaming. How could she love him? She'd only just actually got together with him! And how could he possibly be in love with her? He'd technically only broken up with Kirsten less than three months before. Surely at best she would be a rebound? But the way Sam always took everything she said on board, right down to his stripped down 'this is me and I can only cook pasta' dinner and his perfectly chosen song based on a detail she had told him during their Disney trip when they were still getting to know each other said otherwise. Their trip away to the Caymans had done her the world of good. It had taken her away from the stresses of life and allowed her time to think. As promised, she had time to sit and read while Sam was busy with Chey. She could enjoy a deep tissue massage smoothing out the knots in her shoulders while she thought about where her feelings were heading. And every time she was with Sam, he just proved more and more each day that he would happily move heaven and earth for her.

Once she had got her head around the whole being with Sam, the next thing she'd had to get her head around was the speed of it. The reality was that it was only a few short weeks after ending things with Kirsten that he had begun to pursue her and it didn't sit too well with her. The two things that eased her conscience on that was Sam's reassurance that his previous relationship had been dead in the water by the time they officially broke up at Thanksgiving and the real point it ended was at the end of August when he had left for Europe and she had followed, only to spend no real time with him at all. Using that time frame made things more palatable, as did Kirstin's response to her in the flesh and how even she had sensed there should be something between her and Sam, already publically giving it her approval. Sam maintained that he'd told Kirsten nothing about his feelings and was still working his way through them himself, but clearly the young redhead, for all her poutiness and party lifestyle, was observant enough to observe the subtle shift that came about in Sam with Mercedes presence in his life, and that even if he hadn't fully realized it yet, there were definitely other feelings at play.

But Mercedes Jones didn't fall in love easily. It had only happened once and she had clung on to that short lived relationship for years. Letting go of that and replacing it with someone else wasn't easy, but knowing the person was Sam stopped it from being hard too. The only difficulty was _how_ she was going to say it. How was she supposed to voice her feelings? She didn't have beautiful words like Sam. She needed to use what she did have.

But what did she have?

Food! It was ironic but she genuinely loved cooking and the saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach was true for a reason. She wasn't about to whip up a three course meal, especially when she needed to soak her soreness away, but what she could do was whip up a quick batch of cookies and she could freshen up while they baked in the oven. Chey had a set of 'letters and shapes' cookie cutters somewhere in the kitchen. Two little letters and a heart arranged in the correct order would spell out those three little words and open the conversation. It didn't matter how she said it, as long as she got to be the one to say it first she would be happy.

Disentangling herself Sam's arms was hard, but after a lot of effort she managed it. Moving quietly around the room she grabbed a fresh set of bra and panties and was just grabbing her robe when she saw Sam's shirt on the floor. Without even thinking she picked it up and sniffed it, inhaling his scent. Then she slipped it on. It only reached mid-thigh and didn't close properly over her breasts but she didn't care. She was only going to the kitchen. It was nearly time for lunch anyway and Sam would probably wake up hungry after all the energy he'd expended.

After helping herself to a tall glass of water she stopped to think about where Chey's cookie cutters were. She hadn't used them in a while which meant they had probably been put away with Chey's baking set on top of the cupboards. Dragging one of the stools from the breakfast bar she placed it in the right position and climbed onto the seat. Being a stool rather than a chair she had a smaller surface area to stand on, but she'd been standing on things to reach heights all her life so it wasn't an issue. It took her standing on tiptoes to finally reach the tin with the tips of her fingers and edge it forward to where she could reach to grab it properly.

"You know I can see you ass when you reach up like that!"

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her voice and wobbled slightly. She turned to see Sam's lecherous stare being replaced with a panicked look.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to distract you!"

She smiled. "I wasn't going to fall. I told you before, I'm used to standing on stuff."

"And I told you before, just ask me to get stuff down for you! I'm getting you a ladder for each room tomorrow!"

"Sam! I don't need that!"

"Maybe not. But it'll make me feel better."

"True. But clearly it doesn't bother you enough to not stand there enjoying the view!"

He laughed. "Point taken. Although I have to say my shirt had never looked that good on me. I think you should keep it and wear it round the house more often."

"Shut up!" She grinned and opened the tin that was now in her hands, fishing through the items and picking out the cutters she wanted.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"It's a surprise, so stay back because I don't want to spoil it."

"Hmmm. I'd protest but I'd have to admit that you're right and I _am_ enjoying the view from here!"

She laughed, replacing the tin and turning her feet slightly so that she could strike 'sexy' poses for him while he whooped in delight.

"I hope the private show isn't going to be a one off event!"

Mercedes raised an eyebrow and shot him a smoldering look. "That depends on if you're going to be a 'good boy' or not." Even now she still couldn't believe that she was actively flirting.

Sam bit his bottom lip and didn't even bother to fight back the growl. Somehow, Mercedes had suddenly had her 'sexy' unleashed and he was loving every second of it! "I'll be a good boy, and save the _bad boy_ for later."

Mercedes liked that answer. She started to turn to grab the back of the stool to help her make her descent. "That's good, because I've pla-"

She never finished the word let alone the sentence.

Somehow, the seat of the stool that she had expected to still be underneath her foot wasn't there and as she'd already shifted her weight which meant there was no way she could stop herself hurtling to the ground-

_-Her head hurt._

_ A lot._

_ A hell of a lot!_

_Everything__ hurt actually. The fog was red and it burned. She didn't like the red fog. It made her feel like something was wrong. She wanted her dream. In the dream she was safe. But although the dream had returned it was only briefly and it didn't want to stay. It wasn't fair because this dream had held and supported her for so long when she had nothing else. It wasn't fair because in the dream _he_ was there and_ he_ was holding her close. And she was telling him that she loved him, that she would always love him and that he was her everything. Because he was her everything, her lover and her protector, her companion and the father of their beautiful children. He was her other half and her missing piece._

_But something was trying to steal him from her. The painful red fog was pulling her from the dream but she didn't want to go. It took everything she had to focus and open her eyes, but when she did he was still there. Only this time the green eyes were full of anxiety, worry and strain. Why should he be worried? Despite the pain she loved him and she was trying hard to tell him but her words weren't working too well._

_He was holding her. She was weightless, being lifted and carried and she felt safe in his arms. If it wasn't for the pain this would be so good. But the pain enveloped everything like the fog. And it was hard. Everything was just so damn hard._

_Too hard._

_He was asking her question but her words weren't working properly. She tried to answer them as best as she could but she was tired. Besides there was a new fog coming and this one was better. It was a black fog and this one had no pain. Plus she knew it was safe because this one was where her children and her home were. She tried to explain this to him. All she had to do was say the three magic words 'I love you', and he would understand. But the words would not come out. And for some reason he didn't want her to go into the new fog. It made no sense because _he_ was there too. He wasn't losing her by letting her go, because they would meet again on the other side. _

_And she was too tired to fight the fog._

_But his voice kept piercing her brain wrapped in pain. He was asking her a question again and again. It was an important question, she knew that it was, but her words were getting harder to find by the second and everything was just getting more and more mixed up. He kept asking, again and again but she was struggling with the red fog and the black fog. It was hard to know what was real and what was the dream. What was past and what was future. There was no time for questions._

_ But for him she would try._

_The problem was, even as her mouth finally formed the answer she knew that it was the wrong one. She had given the answer in the form of a question but the damage was still done. What he didn't understand was that she'd been having this dream for so many years that it was part of her. The green eyes were consistent even if the other facial features had changed. But the hurt and pain that crossed the expression of the eyes in front of her confirmed her error and haunted her. She wanted to make it better, tell him she had made a mistake. She loved him and if she could tell him that then he would understand, but her words had completely failed. She had been using everything she had to do this and now everything she had was no longer enough. His voice was fading even though she knew for a fact that he was now shouting. The black fog was everywhere now, in her eyes, her nose, breathed in through her mouth and lifting her body. It was taking her back to her dream, and she embraced it because everything was all alright there._

* * *

Sam's heart plummeted with Mercedes. The whole thing happened in a sick and twisted slow motion. One moment she was standing on the chair talking to him, all sweet and sexy, the next moment she was falling.

He saw exactly how it happened. She had shifted her feet slightly as she turned to speak and pose for him. And now that she was ready to get down, she placed her foot where she thought it should be, forgetting that this time, unlike the hundreds of other times she'd done it without a problem, _this_ time she had been distracted. By _him_. She didn't have her usual foot placement. So when she had placed all of her weight on her left foot so that she could step down on her right, there was no stool underneath her left foot to support her and she went straight down. There wasn't even enough time for her to put her hands out to cushion the fall. They were too busy still clutching onto whatever was in her hand. She crashed to the floor, shoulder first, with her head milliseconds later, the side of it slamming onto the hard floor with a sickening thud. And then she was still.

Sam had been frozen to the spot watching on in horror. Even if he hadn't been frozen to the spot he still would never have reached her in time. But the sound of her impact and the sight of her lying disturbingly still forced his legs to move and his throat to unclench.

"MERCEDES!" Within two seconds he was by her side but she hadn't moved. He couldn't even tell if she was breathing. He was running on pure panic and adrenaline. "MERCEDES! ANSWER ME!"

She remained perfectly still and he panicked suddenly forgetting what he should do. She looked calm. She looked peaceful. She looked… _dead! _Mercedes had fallen on her side, but face down, so he gently pushed her onto her back to see if she was breathing which thankfully she was, but the sight of blood on the floor and on the side of her head, matting her hair filled him with dread. "MERCEDES! _PLEASE!_"

The kitchen floor was cold and hard and he needed to get help. The nearest phone was in the lounge but he couldn't leave her here. Sliding his hands under her knees and back he lifted her in his arms gently, wincing as her head flopped back from the lack of support and shifting her into a slightly better position before running with her as fast as he could. By the time he placed her gently onto the couch she was starting to stir. "Mercedes? Mercedes? Can you hear me?... Can you open your eyes? Mercedes? Please baby?... Please do this for me!"

Her response was a gentle pained groan but he'd never been so happy to hear a sound come out from her. He watched as she moved her head slightly before slowly opening her eyes. When they met his she noticeably calmed.

"Mercedes! You're back! You scared me!"

She continued to stare back at him but there was something different about her look. It was vacant. She was looking but she wasn't necessarily seeing. She was there, but her state was slightly altered. He stroked her cheek reassuringly. "It's okay baby. I'm going to get help."

Her mouth was moving but words weren't coming out.

"Are you trying to say something baby?"

"I-" She was fighting but the struggle seemed too much for her. "I… I… you…"

"Shhhhh… It's okay. Everything's going to be okay." He tried to back away but she grabbed onto his shirt and held it tight.

"You…"

He started to worry now. She was staring at him hard and it suddenly occurred to him that maybe she didn't know who he was anymore. "Mercedes! It's me! Do you remember who I am? Do you remember what happened?"

"I… You…"

"Who am I Mercedes?"

She looked at him, suddenly lucid and smiled. "My husband."

He chuckled in return. "Not yet baby. But just say the word and I'll make it happen. I'd marry you in a heartbeat."

She frowned as if she hadn't understood what he had said. "My baby…"

"Chey's with your mom. We're going to get her later, but now it will have to be after you get checked out at the hospital."

"What about… the other kids…"

This time Sam frowned. Maybe they weren't on the same wavelength after all. "We don't have any other kids… yet…"

"But the boys… the baby…"

She sounded lucid but her eyes weren't focused and she seemed to be in pain. Based on things she had hinted at in the past, Sam suddenly had an inkling of what was going on. When she was hurt her mind would go to a certain place. A fantasy place. He needed for her never to go back there again. "Mercedes?" He could see her drifting again and he shook her gently. "Mercedes? Who am I?"

"Husb…"

"I know, but what's my name?"

She looked at him with an expression that said she was tired and the blood from her head was getting onto the seat of the couch. She was drifting and he needed her not to go.

"I need you to stay with me Mercedes!"

"Can't…"

"Just say my name!"

A groan. "Sleep…"

"Mercedes!"

"Fog…"

Sam didn't know just how much he needed this until this moment. "Baby! Please baby, what's my name?" He didn't mean to push her in her delicate state but he needed to know. He needed to be sure.

Her eyes had been flickering shut but she opened them one final time before they rolled back and she became dead weight again. But before she passed out she said a name. It was faint, almost an exhale rather than a word. But he heard it. He definitely heard it. Because it wasn't his name.

_Riley…_

She had said Riley. The man that she was seeing in her dreams, as her husband and the father of her children was _Riley_. Her high school sweetheart. A ghost. The one thing that could hurt him that he had no control over. The one thing that no amount of money or influence could fix.

The events of the last two weeks between them was meaningless.

And the pain in Sam's chest was literal as he felt his heart rip into two.

He screamed her name over and over but she was in a place where she could no longer hear him…

* * *

_**I thought it's about time we ended on a cliffie! I'll try not to keep you on it for too long!**_

_**I'm also thinking Sam really needs to sign himself up for a first aid course in the next chapter...**_

_**Thanks again for everyone who indulged me by reading and following The Journey. I promise to stick with just Familiar Faces until the end now!**_


	31. Home Truths

Mercedes felt like she had the hangover from hell. All she knew was that she was in a room that she didn't recognize. Maybe Sam had taken her someplace and she'd got drunk? It was a really nice room but something was off. There was a desk, chair, small couch and even a flat screen TV, but the something was _definitely_ off. Moving her head as little as possible she checked out the room to see what it was that was bugging her. It took her a few moments to realize that it was the bed itself. It wasn't the big plush thing that she would expect to go in a room like this. It was a small bed with sheets and a blanket. And why the hell did this bed have sides? It reminded her of the one Chey was in when she spent the night in hospital...

Glancing to the side there was a bedside table with flowers a fruit bowl, a jug of water and a small collection of get well cards, one of which was covered in glitter and had the hallmark of her daughter's fair hand.

_Chey! _Where was Chey? There was a chair next to the head of her bed and on it was her mom's coat and purse. At least she couldn't be too far away.

But why was she in hospital. Was she hurt? Was anyone else hurt? Where was Sam? Had he been with them?

Then there was the fact that her head hurt like hell and her arm was in some sort of elevation sling-

The door suddenly opened. "Mom?" Her voice was hoarse and her throat was dry.

As soon as her mom caught sight of her she ran to the bed. "You're awake!"

_Well duh!_

Leaning over Mercedes she pushed some sort of button that she couldn't see before grabbing her hand and kissing her face with tears in her eyes. "Oh Mercy you scared us all so much!"

"Huh?"

She wanted to move but it was difficult with the sore head, sore shoulder and mom praising the Lord over the top of her head. Within seconds the room ceased being calm. Two nurses came running in followed by the most handsome doctor she had ever seen. The nurses clearly expected her to be dying and were equally shocked to see her awake. They immediately came to her sides and started checking her obs.

The doctor looked unfazed and shot her a winning smile. He was Asian, tall, dark and handsome with an athletic built. "So Sleeping Beauty awakens! It's nice of you to finally join us Ms Jones. Do you know where you are?"

Mercedes attempted to nod but quickly gave up because it hurt like hell. "Some sort of pimped up hospital."

He grinned and she felt herself melt a little. "Yep. My name is Dr Michael Chang and I'm your attending." He gestured around them. "These are the rooms that are reserved for our VIP guests with the really heavy duty insurance policies that poor hard working doctors can only dream of being able to afford. But enough about me. How are you feeling Ms Jones?"

"Sore and confused."

"That's to be expected. I'll fill you in right away." He turned to her mom. "Mrs Carter, do you mind stepping outside for a couple of minutes while I examine your daughter? I'll call you back in as soon as we're done."

She looked reluctant to leave but he shot her a reassuring smile. Everything about him just seemed to make others in the room instantly feel calm. "I'll be right outside." She gave Mercedes' hand one final squeeze before heading out of the door with one of the nurses. The other remained, pumping what felt like far too much air into her blood pressure cuff.

"Do you know why you're here Mercedes?"

"No. I guess I was in some sort of accident. Was anyone else hurt? Is my daughter okay?"

"She's fine. I met her earlier this afternoon. _Very_ talkative. And no nobody else is hurt."

She heaved a huge sigh of relief and watched as he took a small pen flashlight from his top pocket. "Mercedes you've had a pretty nasty bang to the head."

_So that's what had happened. _"How? When?"

"Apparently you have a very bad habit of standing on chairs and movable surfaces to reach things which you have been warned about on numerous occasions..."

"Did I fall?"

"It seems so. You were brought in by ambulance. The human head verses a hard floor is never a fair fight. What's the last thing you remember?"

She closed her eyes for a moment. _Laughter, sand, water…_ "The beach. I was playing on the beach with Chey."

Dr Chang said nothing, he simply got her to tilt her head slightly and shone the light into both of her eyes. She felt nervous. "I just got that answer wrong didn't I!"

"You've just woken up Mercedes. There's no wrong answers at this point."

"But you called me Sleeping Beauty. How long was I out for?"

He looked at his watch. "Nearly thirty hours."

"You mean I've lost over a day!"

She raised her voice and he had to hush her. "It's fine. You've had several tests and scans, none of which showed any serious damage. There was nothing for us medically to do. It was down to you to wake up in your own time when you were ready and you did."

The amount time still worried her. "So why can't I remember what happened? And what the hell happened to my arm?"

The nurse placed a reassuring hand over hers. "Don't worry Mercedes there's a lot to take in. Don't try and rush things."

Dr Chang nodded. "Your arm is fine but you injured your shoulder in the fall. For a brief spell we thought you'd fractured your clavicle but it seems it's just that the area is bruised. The sling is simply for comfort, to keep it immobilized." He looked at her carefully and she couldn't help noticing he also had very nice eyes. "Your lips seem dry, would you like a drink of water?"

Mercedes had forgotten about her thirst but now that he mentioned it, it returned with a vengeance and the nurse poured her a glass from the jug.

He watched her drink quietly for a couple of moments before pulling up her chart. "Mercedes, I'm going to ask you a series of questions. This is perfectly normal practice for patients with head injuries so I'm going to have to ask you to bear with me, okay?"

He ran through a variety of questions, most of which were incredibly easy like what was her full name, who was the President and what month it was. The hardest ones where when it came down to the ones like naming the last thing she ate.

At the end of the questions she frowned. "Did I do badly?"

"Nope. You did really well. Your long term memory is perfectly fine and short term memory loss is common with head trauma. I would expect you memory to return pretty quickly, but we'll see how things go."

"And will I have to stay in hospital for long?"

"That depends on you. Obviously we'll be keeping you in tonight for observation and we'll use your rate of improvement to determine your length of stay. Right now it's too early to say but because you were in a coma for a short while we don't want to take any chances." He leaned forward and examined her temple. "You were bleeding when you were brought in and we had to put one stitch into your head but it will dissolve on its own and there won't be any visible scarring. How does your head feel?"

"Sore."

He grinned back at her with two rows of perfect teeth. The man really was delicious and it was distracting. If it wasn't for the fact that she had Sam and was at less than her best she would have contemplated a little flirtation. Even his voice was rich as he spoke. "Well that sounds about right for the kind of bump you had. If you need anything extra for the pain or if you start getting any visual disturbances just let us know."

"I will."

He stood from where he had perched on her bed. "Okay well I'm just going to check your reflexes and your shoulder then your mom can come back in."

Mercedes rapidly decided that he handsome doctor with the perfect smile was just the thing to get better rapidly and her mom agreed. "The man is a charmer and Artie has taken an instant dislike to him which may or may not have been cause by some not so subtle flirting on my part."

Mercedes giggled carefully, minimizing her head movement as much as possible because of the pain. "I bet Sam didn't like him either!"

Her mom shifted uncomfortably. "Sam hasn't met him yet."

"Oh?" Mercedes would have frowned but that would have stretched the skin on her head and she was already learning not to do that. "Didn't he come with Chey?"

"No. He… um, couldn't make it."

"But he's been here to the hospital right?"

"Of course! He brought you in!"

"So he was there when I fell?"

"You were both in the house together. It was nearly lunchtime."

"Poor Chey must have been so scared!"

"Chey was with me."

"So I was alone… with Sam…"

Dionne's lips formed a thin line. "And when you were brought in you were wearing your underwear and his shirt…"

The hole in her memory was driving her crazy. She remembered telling Sam no sex and she remembered being in the Caymans regretting that request. Just how much more time had passed?

"Dr Chang says I can prompt you for memories but you mustn't try and force it."

Mercedes sighed and leaned back, already tired. "I just want to rest mom."

"That's fine. Visiting is nearly over anyway. By the time I get back Quinn would have put Chey to bed. She's at the house with Puck and Artie. Obviously I've kept her with me."

"Of course." Mercedes looked up at the time. "Do you have your cell mom? Can I call her real quick? I just want her to hear my voice. I know she'll be worried."

Dionne handed over the phone with the knowing look that said it was Mercedes who was desperate to hear her own child's voice. Tears streamed down her face at the sound of Chey on the other side of the line telling her how much she missed her and how she was scared she wouldn't wake up. Her mom stroked her back soothingly. As soon as the call ended she put in a call to Sam. His cell went straight to voicemail so she just left a brief message to say that she was awake, wanted to thank him for bringing her in and the insurance that put her in such a lovely room and she was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. She ignored the worried expression on her mom's face as she left the message.

The worried expression was on her own face the next day when there was still no word from Sam. Artie had accidentally let slip that they hadn't seen or heard from him since he brought her in. When she looked to her mom she'd said nothing. "You told me he was here at the hospital mom!"

"He was. He called me to meet him at the ER and I did. We spoke in the ER and he told me what happened."

"Then what."

"Then he vanished."

"What do you mean vanished?"

"I haven't seen or heard from him since and his cell is off. None of his online contacts work either. He's just dead air right now."

She knew Sam and knew his phone was never far away. Even though he was on his sabbatical he was still keeping a close eye on things at work, albeit from a distance.

Mercedes was concerned about being up and about in time for her mom's wedding. Dr Chang said that at this point nothing could be guaranteed and Dionne instantly put their plans on hold. Mercedes felt terrible but to Dionne there was nothing more important that her. Vegas would still be there a couple of months later.

There were visits from Holly and Stacey who had cut her afternoon class and driven up from New Haven to see her. She loved the fact that the Evans family had rallied around her. The fact that she was in hospital was a closely guarded secret so the fact that she had visits from everyone who did know made a huge difference.

Quinn had also snuck in and the first thing she asked was if it was true that the last thing she remembered was being on the beach in the Caymans. Mercedes blushed, her memory was definitely filtering back and her most recent memory was of the more carnal kind involving Sam. She had initially dismissed it as a fantasy until she found corresponding bruises on her hips that matched the size of his fingertips.

The day ran quickly and slowly. Holly and Stacey were thrilled to see her but she could also tell that they were agitated by the fact that nobody had heard from Sam. Even Stevie popped in and he didn't even bother to hide the fact that he was furious with his brother for _still _being a no-show. Something was up and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

* * *

Sam was in a bad way. Immediately after leaving the hospital he had gone straight back to his apartment and stayed there. For hours he had paced his rooms, unable to rest. He still couldn't understand what had happened. One moment everything had been perfect and in the next moment it was all ruined. And to think that he had been so close to telling her that he had loved her!

He was a hotbed of emotions: shocked how so much could change in so little time, hurt that the woman he loved was hurt, angry that she didn't love him like he had hoped she would, frustrated that the reason she didn't love him was because she was still in love with the ghost of a teenage boy and guilty that he had caused her accident. If he hadn't distracted her she wouldn't have fallen and he knew better than to have moved her from where she landed. For all he knew his stupidity could have made things so much worse! Everything swirled around his mind and the headache it caused actually made him vomit.

Nothing could distract him. He couldn't eat, sleep or focus on anything else but his thoughts. He sat in the games room and stared at a screen that he didn't even have the energy to switch on. How had everything gone from being so perfect to going so spectacularly wrong? It was like someone had just pulled the wrong block out of the bottom of a giant Jenga tower! Every time he tried he failed to see what exactly it was that had gone wrong. The conclusion he came to was that everything had been too damn perfect. That trip to the Caymans was one of the best times of his life. It was calm and stress free and with the people he loved. Mercedes had lapped up everything and he could see in her eyes that she was feeling it. It wasn't a faked emotion. Being with her and Chey on a 'permanent' basis was what he had craved since his time in Europe and it was better than he could have imagined. It was even worth the self-imposed sex ban. Things were so good that he didn't even _need _the sex to complete it although it would have been a fantastic addition. However when it did happen, it had been more than worth the wait, and even that experience had gone far beyond the physical. For the first time he had felt a depth of connection, it was more than sex. He'd had lots of sex, lots of _great_ sex, he'd even had sex with women he'd had feelings for. But this had been different. This had been _making love. _He had never understood that phrase so fully before. He had never had that feeling of being so connected to someone that it almost overruled the passion. It was intense, it was heady and it was almost an out of body experience. But she had felt it too. He was sure she had. Even though he knew how he felt about her he'd had no intention of actually saying it, not wanting to risk scaring her off, but somehow the time was right. The moment was right. She had actively stopped him from saying it and he was aware of that, yet she had still let him know that she felt the same way too. Maybe it was too early to say it, but it was definitely mutually felt even though it was left unsaid.

Mercedes that morning had been a completely different version of herself. She was free and liberated. He had never seen her like that. He'd always believed that she had it in her, he'd always known that she was sexy, but somehow she had actually _radiated_ sexy. It was difficult to explain but he knew that it was because it came from a place deep inside. Something had changed inside her own head. This woman with little self-belief and self-confidence had suddenly let go. And it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

Then in a blink of an eye it was all gone. He should never have allowed her to stay on that stool. Whatever it was that she had been reaching for, he should have taken over and gone for it himself. What kind of gentleman was he? No gentleman at all if all he could do was stand and watch his shirt rise over her ass as she stretched instead of helping! And worse than that he had distracted her! She said she stood on things all the time to reach them and at her miniscule height he didn't doubt it. She probably _was_ good at perching on unusual surfaces, but then she would know exactly how to stand to not fall. But this time things were different because this time_ he_ had distracted her. If she hadn't shuffled that tiny bit to flirt and play sexy with him, she would have kept her perfect balance. If he hadn't been there she would never have lost her footing. Why couldn't he have left her alone for just five minutes? Why did the feel of her not being in his arms disturb him so much that he had to go and seek her out?

There was probably no way he could have caught her as she fell but he could have at least tried. The sound of her head hitting the ground was the most disturbing thing he had ever heard. It hurt him just as much as it did to see it. He had no idea what on earth it must have felt like. Yet all he had done was make things worse. Instead of speedily getting help he had moved her and interrogated her. He should have been happy that she was coming round. He should have been happy to hear her voice. Questions should have been left to the professionals. But once the seed of doubt was sewn as to who she thought he was, he needed answers. Once his sensitive spot had been touched there was no going back.

When he had said her would marry her in a heartbeat he wasn't lying. He would have then and he probably still would now if he believed in tying down a woman, even if she wasn't in love with him. But he could never do that. He loved her and he loved her completely but he needed her to feel the same way for it to happen. When they had made love he really genuinely believed that they had found it. That they were soulmates.

Then things completely changed. She had said what she had said. It had always been in the back of his mind that she had never fully dealt with her grief over Riley. When she had told him that she used to dream that Chey was his he had accepted it as her coping mechanism because at that point, it had less of a relevance to him. But the moment she had opened the box of Chey's past and hidden what was clearly his picture, he had known that she clearly still had something to hide. Otherwise why wouldn't she share? Why the need to cover it up?

The loud banging from his front door roused him from the blurry haze which enveloped him as he sunk into the beanbag. If he ignored it the sound would eventually go away.

But it didn't. It increased.

What the hell was Max doing letting people up here anyway?

"Sam!"

The voice made him jump. It was Stevie. If he stayed perfectly still he could pretend he wasn't there.

"Sam! If you don't open this fucking door I'll attempt to jam your lock with my key and NYPD will have force you out of there to fix the shit storm it will create!"

That was not a threat Sam could afford to take idly. With a growl of frustration he attempted to get himself up from the beanbag, only for it to tilt to one side, causing him to roll on the floor and bash his knee in the process.

The knocking didn't let up and Sam knew if he didn't make it to the door soon there would be trouble.

"I'm coming!" He yelled as loud as he could, kicking out his leg to ease the pain in his knee and making his way unsteadily to the door.

"The FUCK Sam!" They were the first three words out of his brother's mouth as he barged past him into the apartment. "You look like shit! Have you been drinking?"

Sam shook his head. He would have but in all honesty he hadn't even had the energy to do that! Stevie looked ready to rip him to shreds so he preempted him. "Look bro. I know exactly what you're going to say-"

"Really? Are you sure? Because I don't think you do. I was about to tell you that you're_ damn lucky_ it's me here and not Holly! She'd already put the boys in a stroller before I calmed her down enough to not come here and rip you to shreds. Stacey was going to drive her. And believe me, after living with a pregnant Holly that is the _last _thing you want. You getting me is being let off_ easy!_"

The rage in his brother's eyes didn't make Sam feel like he was being let off easy. He didn't even let Sam sit down, instead backing him up against the wall. "What the fuck is going on Sam? Your phone is off. Everything is off. Nobody can reach you. Mercedes is asking for you and you're AWOL!"

Sam gasped. "She's asking for me?"

"Of course she is. Why the fuck wouldn't she?"

"I thought-"

"Nobody knows what the hell you're thinking. What happened Sam? You call me, you call Dionne, you say there's an accident then you vanish. The last person to see you is Dionne who said you went to the bathroom in the ER and were never seen again!"

Sam put his head in his hands. "You don't understand."

"SO TRY ME!"

Sam had never seen Stevie in a rage like that. Even when he was mad he tended to be calm and calculated. In all the years they had spent not getting along, their disagreements was usually of the non-verbal kind. Now his brother simply looked like he wanted to tear his heart out. "What the fuck did you do to Mercedes?!"

"Nothing! She fell!"

"So why are you avoiding her?"

A chill suddenly ran down Sam's spine. "Wait. You don't think I-"

"I didn't think anything until you started acting shady and avoiding everybody!"

Did his brother _really_ doubt him? "It's not like-"

"Sam!" Stevie slammed his hand against the wall and for a split second he thought he was going to hit him. They hadn't had a fist fight since they were in their teens and as they were both regular with their workouts there was no telling who would win one now. "Don't piss me off any more than I already am or I will personally collect Holly and Stacy and Dionne and let them inflict their own brand of pain on you!"

Sam shuddered at the mere thought of that. "I needed some space!"

"What the fuck kind of lame excuse is that? Mercedes only woke up yesterday and she's been asking for you ever since. Dionne laid into me this afternoon because she thought _I_ was the one holding you back."

Sam paled. "She only woke up yesterday evening?"

"Yes. Thankfully there's no serious damage and they were happy for her to wake up on her own."

"Is she- Is she okay?"

"She will be. She has amnesia. Apparently when she first woke up her last memory was of being in the Caymans but it's slowly coming back."

Suddenly he felt a glimmer of hope. "So she remembers the Caymans."

"That's what I just said. And the doctor is confident she'll make a full recovery. She might not clearly remember the accident itself or immediately after but he's not expecting her to have any long lasting ill effects."

"But she doesn't remember what happened? She doesn't remember what she said?"

"She said something?"

Sam put his head in his hands and fought back a sob. "It was the worst thing in the world Stevie, to see her fall like that and know that the only way I would be able to reach her in time was if I was Superman! The sound her head made when it hit the floor… it haunts me. I thought she was dead Stevie, she looked like she was dead and there was blood! And it was all my fault!"

"Why? Why was it all your fault?"

"I distracted her! I should have just let her come down but I had to be all flirty and make her lose her concentration. If I wasn't there she wouldn't have fallen!"

"It was an _accident _Sam. Even Dionne is happy to accept that. What it isn't, is an excuse to shut Mercedes out. And it definitely isn't an excuse to shut Chey out!"

"If I can't protect her mom, how can I protect her?"

"She's a kid who just wants her dad! Stop making this about _you_!"

Stevie's words were like a jolt of electricity. It was true. His reaction had been all about him. To a little girl, all that was happening was that suddenly she doesn't see her daddy after spending so much time with him.

Stevie simply glared at him before pinching the bridge of his nose and releasing a long sigh. "I just don't understand this Sam. Start from the beginning and fill me in properly. I can only help you if I understand what's going on and right now I have no desire in the world to help you!"

Sam bit his lip. "So we were alone in the house…"

Stevie growled with frustration. "Look, we all know you spent the night. You guys have been desperate to fuck since Christmas and were probably at it like rabbits it the Caymans. Get to the part I don't know!"

Sam blushed and cleared his throat. Considering his former playboy reputation, having his sex life with Mercedes aired felt like one hell of an invasion. "Mercedes and I… We've made a lot of progress in our relationship recently and I was just getting to the point where I was going to tell her just how serious I am about all of this, then she said something after she fell…"

"But I thought the fall knocked her out!"

"It did. But she came to for a bit when I put her on the couch and she thought I was someone else. It's bad enough that I picked her up and moved her instead of leaving her still, but then when she started to talk I asked her who she thought I was and she didn't know!"

"She didn't recognize you?"

"She thought I was her ex!"

"Ouch! That's harsh."

"Not just any ex, Stevie, her dead ex that she never got over properly. How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"Fair deal. Does she talk about him a lot?"

"She's only mentioned him once. But he was important to her and all the shit that happened with being pregnant with Chey brought him back to the front of her mind."

Stevie ran his hand through her hair. "That still sounds like a long time ago to me."

"You didn't hear her. She was living it. She was imagining kids with him."

"In her defense, she'd just had a huge whack to the head! For all you know she could have looked at you and seen Superman for real! Or pink elephants!"

Sam took a couple of deep breaths. "Are you trying to say I'm overthinking this?"

"I'm trying to say that if you're here hiding away from the woman who's crazy about you because of something she said moments after knocking herself out on a tiled floor then _you're _the one who needs your head examined! She doesn't even remember it and the chances are she never will. In the meantime, you've managed to freak everyone out, upset Mercedes who can't understand why every Evans has been to visit her apart from you, and none of us have a good believable excuse because we're all hoping ourselves that you'll come through the door at any second!"

Sam felt the pain in his stomach again. He had screwed up massively. Yes it had hurt to hear her say Riley's name, but he had hurt her too in return and she clearly didn't even know why. From her point of view, he had abandoned her, and that wasn't what he wanted her to feel at all! Whatever she may be going through in her own head, he loved her and should have been there for her. But instead he had been a coward, unable to face… hell he didn't even know what it was that he couldn't face anymore. When Chey was sick in hospital he had stepped up to the plate and been there as much as he could. When the same happened to Mercedes he had run as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

And he hated himself for it.

Then there was Chey. She was caught in the crossfire. He had looked Mercedes in the eye and assured her that even if things went wrong it would never hurt Chey, then he had stumbled at the first hurdle, avoiding the child as much as the mother. It wasn't Chey's fault, it was his, because he knew that one stare from those huge chocolate eyes of hers had the power to break him. She had her mother's eyes and that was dangerous.

But that wasn't her fault.

He had epically screwed up!

Pushing his brother to the side he leaped forward. "I have to go and see her!"

Stevie grabbed him and pulled him back. "You can't. She's not having any more visitors for tonight. They're doing tests then they'll observe her overnight so see if she's okay to go home tomorrow."

"They have to let me in!"

"You're not going anywhere near the hospital Sam. You'll make a scene!"

"But I need to speak to Mercedes. I need to _see _her. I need to know she's alright with my own eyes!"

"You can do that in the morning. I can't guarantee she'll still be pleased to see you but you can go anyway."

"Then I have to see Chey! She's at Dionne's right?"

Stevie looked at his watch. "She'll be going to bed right about now."

"Even if I only see her for five minutes it'll be worth it."

"You're not Dionne's favorite person right now. Are you sure you want to go into the lion's den?"

Sam didn't hesitate. He would do whatever it takes, including facing the wrath of Dionne. "I'm ready!" He turned to head for the door but Stevie stopped him with a firm hand to the middle of his chest.

"You're not going anywhere in day old clothes!"

He was right. Sam was still a complete mess. "I'll take a shower first and then I'll be ready to face Dionne. I'll call Holly later if there's any flesh left on my bones after Dee's finished with me."

For the first time since entering the apartment Stevie cracked a smile. "I just wish I could be there to see this!"

"I didn't know you were into blood sports!"

"Don't tell Holly but I find your future mother-in-law strangely fascinating in a shit scared sort of way! You Mercedes and Chey have a good thing going on. Don't destroy it with your stupidity."

For the first time in days Sam chuckled as he pushed his brother out the door and headed to the shower. It was only as the hot water flowed over his body that he realized Stevie had referred to Dionne as his future mother-in-law. Clearly he hadn't given up on this relationship either.

* * *

It took all of Sam's willpower to raise his hand and knock on the door. Once it was done he stepped back, scraping his chin with his hand and regretting not taking the extra minute after his shower to at least be clean shaven. There was a pause and Sam could have sworn he saw Artie peek through a window before wisely making himself scarce. The sound of Dionne's approached spelled the countdown of the final moments he had to make the decision of whether or not to turn round and run for his life. But some things were worth fighting for. Some _people_ were worth fighting for. As she started her cuss filled unlocking of the door, he straightened his spine and lifted his chin.

"-thinks it's okay to pitch up at this time when people are trying to put a child to bed-" The door opened and she stopped mid rant at the sight of Sam. It took her a split second to recover herself before pushing the door shut again. "Oh _hell_ no…"

Sam held on to the door, preventing her from closing it. "Please Dionne-"

She shot him a look that made his insides turn to stone. "Do I know you?" Her voice was cold.

"Please I just want to see my daughter-"

"There's nothing of yours here!"

"You can't do that!"

"And where were you the last two days?"

"I couldn't-"

"You had a daughter two days ago. You had a daughter yesterday. You had a daughter this morning. But only now at eight at night do you suddenly remember her? If you can have selective memory about her then I can have selective memory about you too!"

She wasn't going to make this easy for him. "I've done nothing but think about them for the last two days! I haven't slept and I haven't eaten!" He could feel his eyes welling with tears. If it was anyone else he'd attempt to hide them but this was Dionne and it wasn't even worth contemplating bullshit when it came to her.

"Well don't expect me to feed you!"

"I came talk to you about Mercedes. And to see Chey."

"She's just gone to bed. Don't bother her."

"Please! Just five minutes. I'll just stand by the door. I just need to _see_ her." There was an air of desperation in his voice that would have been humiliating if it wasn't for the fact that he was, in fact, desperate.

"I think you should leave Sam, before you make a scene."

That only made his resolve firmer. "If it's a scene you want Dionne, then it's a scene you'll get. You have no right to refuse me access to my child!"

He saw her waver for a split second before her jaw set again. "You guys agreed on one meal a week. Everything else was a bonus. Come back on Saturday and we'll have a Happy Meal in MacDonalds!"

"NO!"

Sam couldn't believe he'd said it. The first time Dionne launched into him he'd gone running. In fairness, it was because she was right and he was wrong, but this time he was going to stand up to her. He had to because so much was at stake. And because he knew that being the woman that she was, she would ultimately end up respecting him for it.

"What did you say…?" Her words were slow and deliberate as her eyes drilled into him and for a moment he thought that she was going to reach up and slap him.

"I said _no. _I've already wasted too much time. I need to fix this and I know that I need to fix this through you so I'm here and I'm not going anywhere!"

They locked eyes for what felt like an impossibly long time before she finally stepped back and opened the door wide. "Five minutes. Five minutes then you come down and I'll say my piece. Artie will show you the way up."

Out of sheer gratefulness Sam bent down and kissed her cheek as he passed before rushing to the stairs before she could react. Artie was half way up and he followed him to the top. "You're going to have one hell of a job fixing this!" Artie said quietly.

"I know."

"And I can't help you with it." Artie was wise enough to stay way out of the crossfire with his wedding rapidly approaching.

"I know. I brought this upon myself and I'll fix it. I promise."

"Good." He led him to one of the doors in the hallway and opened it. "If you make her want to get up again Dee will never forgive you."

Sam nodded and quietly crept in. Chey was in a small bed, tucked in nicely with Teddy clutched firmly in her arms. Moving silently he made his way over to the bed, knelt beside her and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Mmmm… Mommy?" Chey stirred a little and Sam wondered if it was the two day growth on his chin touching her soft skin which had woken her.

"No babe, it's daddy."

"Daddy?" She stirred even more in her sleepy state and he worried that she would wake up fully and be upset.

"Shhh… Go back to sleep Annie. I just came to tell you I love you."

She sniffed loudly and snuggled against Teddy. "Mommy…"

The word coming from her mouth ripped through his chest. "I know baby. I'm going to make everything better. Sleep now." He fought back the tears as he played with a couple of her curls as he watched her body still and her breathing settle again. "I'm so sorry baby. None of this was your fault."

It felt like seconds before there was movement at the door. "Sam…"

Sam sighed but was grateful for Artie's time warning. The last thing he needed to do was make Dionne any more pissed off than she already was. Casting on final glance at his sleeping child and brushing her soft cheek one last time as she slept, he slowly stood, letting the blood rush back into his legs before backing out of the room and heading back downstairs.

Dionne was just stepping out of the kitchen with two mugs of coffee. "You look like you could use this."

He accepted it gratefully. "Thanks."

"Sit."

Sam did exactly as he was told, resting the drink that was still far too hot on the dining table where he was sat. She rested hers on the coffee table and he though she was going to sit too until he felt three swift whacks to the back of his head.

_What the- _"Ouch!"

She simply glared at him unsympathetically as she sat across from him. "Mercedes' head hurts a hell of a lot more than that."

"But you just hit-"

"And hopefully knocked some sense into you. Mercedes is my child. Chey is my grandchild. As Chey's father by default you become my child too. I'll whack Mercedes if she's foolish and I have no qualms whacking you too. You may be some big shot millionaire businessman but you're also a fool and this mama ain't got time for that!"

Sam wanted to argue but knew the best thing to do was to hang his head and take it like a man.

"Where were you while your child was asking for her daddy over the last two days? What good is it to sneak in when she's asleep? My baby is in hospital right now suffering amnesia and wondering where the hell you are. The last thing she remembers is being with you and being happy and I have clean run out of excuses for your ass not being there. Your brother, sister and Holly all took time out to come see her but your shady ass stayed hidden. Something went down that you're not telling me. Something that affects your relationship with my daughter and by extension your relationship with me. So far I've done nothing but stand up for you but that all ended the moment she cried in my arms because she thought maybe you'd had a fight and broke up and she couldn't remember. So I need to you speak quickly and tell me what the hell is going on because you are literally two minutes away from Happy Meal dates with your daughter for the next twelve years!"

Sam cringed knowing that she was serious as hell.

"I know. Stevie came round and lost his shit with me when he filled me in. I'm sorry I didn't come to the hospital. There were a lot of things I couldn't face, you included. Even though it was an accident I still feel responsible for what happened. I should never have let her reach up like that. I should never have let her get distracted and lose her balance. I shouldn't have moved her and made her worse. I shouldn't have asked her what I did."

"What did you ask her?"

"She didn't seem to know who I was so I asked who she thought I was and… and she said Riley. She thought she was married to Riley!"

"Ooooh…" Dionne clapped her hand over her mouth and leaned back in her seat.

"So you see why I-"

"Hell no! I don't see nothing other than you acting a fool."

"But she's not over him!"

"Girl had concussion! Probably some repressed memory or something!"

Sam sighed. "That's what Stevie said!"

"Your brother is not only a fine looking man, he has a sensible head on those shoulders too. It's a shame the clever genes got skipped when it came to you because your sister is far more relationship clued up than you are!"

"You don't understand-"

"What the hell don't I understand? You think I don't notice the way you look at my daughter? You think I don't see the way she looks at you? The way she acts around you? You think I've never been in love before? You think I'm not in love now? Sometimes it's the scariest thing in the world. You take half your heart, put it on a plate and hand it over to someone else without any guarantee of what they're actually going to do with it."

"But-"

"_Don't!_" Dionne held up her hand. "Don't interrupt me! Sometimes in life you just have to take your chances. Mercedes comes with a lot of baggage, you already know that. She's been working her way through it over the years and even I have to admit that you coming into her life has also been a force for good. I'm guessing she already told you all about Riley?"

"Yes. When we went to Disney."

Dionne raised an eyebrow. "She let you in quick. I didn't know until Chey was born and Mercedes named her. Up until then I truly believed that Shane was her first boyfriend. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me? I brought her up as a single mother and she didn't confide in me about her single most important relationship after our own? But you know what? I had to get over it. I had to suck it up, get on and be there for my girl when she needed me the most. That's what I did and that's why we have the relationship we have today. It may not be perfect but there is a hell of a lot of love there."

"But she's clearly not over him-"

"Oh just get over it!"

Sam tilted his head and narrowed his eyes in disbelief at what she had just said. "Huh!"

"I said three words… Get. Over. It!" Sam went to speak but she raised her hand again. "Or maybe I need to express myself more clearly. Why use three words when seven will do… Get. Over. Yourself. And. Get. Over. It!"

Sam sat back in his seat, shocked. This was _huge _and here she was telling him to get over it like it was no big deal!

This time Dionne sighed and used a delicately manicured nail to smooth her bags away from her face. "I don't even know why I'm wasting my breath trying to spell this out to your skinny ass so you'll have to listen carefully because there won't be any repeating. You're going to have to decide what's important to you. I know this seems like a big deal right now but is it a big enough deal to destroy what you've built up until this point?"

"This could change everything!"

"You're not the only one who has to get over something Sam! Do you remember your first encounter with Mercedes outside this house? Do you remember what you said? You threatened to take custody of Chey. You threatened to get Mercedes declared unfit! At the time you had no idea of her history. You had no idea how hard that statement hit her. You probably _still_ have no idea of how hard that hit her. She's battled depression. She's had therapy, CBT and medication to help her work through her problems and she's come out the other side of it. You had someone look her up and started spewing lines like that! I had to talk her down at the beginning when she was convinced you would get hold of her history and take her to the carpet. Because you_ could _have. And you probably would have won. The millionaire who can afford the most expensive lawyers against the single mom who had fought hard to get her life together after the hard knocks she'd been dealt with. All it would have taken was for you to compare what you had to offer with your millions compared to her and the child would have been yours, no question.

Chey is everything to Mercedes. Her love for her child is the anchor that has kept her steady while she worked on healing herself. When she met you and you said what you said it sent her into a tailspin. Even _I _was scared of what might happen. But she clawed her way back from that. Within a short time of you saying what you did she had to make the decision to trust you. It was a hard decision because not only was she trusting you, she was sharing her most precious possession with you, something you had already threatened to take with no qualms whatsoever. So when I tell you to get over something that she may have said while being concussed moments after whacking her head on the ground, you think about how it compares to what she's had to get over from you to let you into her life and let you into her heart! You ain't got _Jack_ to get over. So take it from someone who knows the other side and go fix your shit as soon as possible!"

Sam was stunned. He had never thought it things that way. The way he had been at the beginning did bother his conscience, but to have it spelled out like that and to have the full extent of the damage he had caused brought to light really put a new perspective on things. Mercedes had to look past so much to be with him and he was going to have to do the same.

His voice was quiet. "Is it true that she doesn't remember what she said?"

"Yep."

"So that means…"

"That means if you forget about it too then it never happened. How the hell you'll explain going AWOL is up to you but I personally think you guys still need to discuss things."

Sam slumped in his seat dejectedly. "I've really screwed things up haven't I!"

Dionne clicked all the fingers on her right hand. "Yep. So go home and get some sleep because you look like shit. There's a chance Mercedes may be coming out tomorrow. She's going to stay here for a few days so I can keep an eye on her and help out with Chey. You won't be allowed back through this door unless she specifically requests it." She stood up from her seat and took his mug, signaling that it was time for him to leave.

Sam also stood. He was aware that this had gone so much better than he ever could have hoped it would. "Thanks Dionne. Thanks for not hating me."

"Who says I don't hate you? As far as I'm concerned my daughter picked the wrong Evans brother. Stevie will always be my first choice out of the two of you!"

Sam smiled as he made his way towards the front door. He remembered what Mercedes had told him about her mom liking him on his first visit to the house when she dragged him out to but some KFC and accepted that for her, this was as good as it was going to get. Yes she had whacked his head, but she had also told him that he was like a son to her and spelled out to him where he had gone wrong so that he would be in the right position to be able to fix it.

As she opened the front door he stepped through and turned back to her. "I'm serious Dionne. Thanks. I needed what you said to me."

Her response was simply a grunt but he knew that the point was made. She leaned on the doorframe and shot him a long hard look. "Sam, just remember that Mercedes is my daughter and her wellbeing to me is first and foremost. Whatever side she takes on this is my side too. I can't help you any more than I already have tonight. I only said what I did because at least you had the nerve to come and face me like a man. From now you're on your own. You _need_ to fix your shit."

He nodded. "Understood."

And then he left her to the rest of her evening.

* * *

Sam was at the hospital bright and early to speak with Doctor Chang but he had to wait for him to do his rounds before he finally had the opportunity. At first he was reluctant to give information on Mercedes' condition without him being a relative and it suddenly stood out to him just how far apart from Mercedes he still was. In the end they settled for a general conversation about head injuries and what had happened at the time of the accident. The doctor stressed that Mercedes had a severe concussion and that the chances of her remembering what she said at the time were slim to none. He also told him that the fact that if she appeared in an altered state suggested that she may well have been hallucinating and not actually clearly seeing who and what was in front of her. There was also a good chance that she had gone into a dream state which could well have been memories from long ago. Each head injury was different and it was impossible to make hard and fast rules.

Sam had enough information though. He knew beyond a doubt that he had been an idiot. He had broken his own heart by pushing Mercedes to speak when her mind wasn't her own.

Taking a deep breath that did nothing to make him feel calmer he stepped into her room. He knew that Dr Chang had just discharged her and Artie was packing her things into a bag.

"Artie, can you give us a moment?" He looked pleadingly at the older man who looked to Mercedes. She nodded and he made his way out of the room.

She called after him. "Don't go far, I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

Once he pulled the door shut Sam turned to her. "Mercedes?"

She didn't even pause her movement as she continued what she was doing.

"Please Mercedes!"

She zipped up her bag, sighed and looked up at him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen. "If you'd come ten minutes later you would have missed me and saved us both a world of heartache."

"I wanted to see you! I missed you so much!"

"I've been here nearly four days. I'm sorry I couldn't come to you but I think it's pretty obvious where I was." Her voice was cold and he didn't blame her.

"How much do you remember?"

"Enough."

"Do you remember falling?"

"No. But I remember that morning." Sam blushed and did she. "It's enough for me to know that I humiliated myself."

"Noooo! You didn't! You didn't at all! That morning was amazing!"

"You got what you wanted Sam so you can go. You were determined to get me to sleep with you and I did so congratulations to you. It cost you a yacht in the Caymans but I guess the thrill was in the chase and it's not like you can't afford it."

"It wasn't-"

"It was what it was Sam, and there's no hard feelings. We're both consenting adults." She lifted her bag and winced but refused to let Sam help her in any way. "Artie will take the bag from me." She paused, "and I won't deny you your one meal a week with Chey so you don't have to worry about that."

"Mercedes, please just hear me out?"

She stopped at the door and turned to him with a frustrated sigh. "Apparently I said something that upset you. Right now I have no memory of it but I assure you that when I do I'll apologize in due course. Right now I just want to get to my mom's and rest a little."

"You called me Riley."

Her hand stopped where it was on the handle of the door but she didn't look back at him.

"What? During sex?"

"No. After you banged your head."

"Great. So you ignore me and Chey, _our daughter_, for days because I get your name wrong after I've whacked my head. If you can't replay your words back to yourself and work out what's wrong with what you're accusing me of then you're a man with issues."

She pulled the door open.

"I don't think you're over him!" Sam blurted.

She stared at him cooly. "I don't see how that has any relevance to you. I'll text you about dinner with Chey at the weekend. Just make sure your phone is actually on!"

Mercedes stepped outside and walked towards Artie. He took her bag and her good arm and led them around the corner out of Sam's line of sight.

Only Artie got to witness Mercedes break down the second she was shielded from Sam's view.

* * *

Sam didn't know what to do with himself. He needed a distraction and there weren't any. Seeing Mercedes at the hospital could not have gone any worse and he knew that he wouldn't be welcome back at Dionne's home anytime soon, especially with the way he was spectacularly failing at his one instruction of 'fixing his shit'.

Back in his apartment he scanned his room before catching sight of an extra set of keys on his desk. He still had the spare keys to Mercedes' house! They were the perfect excuse to go back to Dionne's. But first, he needed to go there himself. There were quite a few of his overnight items still there because he had left in such a hurry with the ambulance. He also could do with getting some things cleaned before Mercedes moved back from her mom's. The blood on the couch for starters. Sam cringed when he thought of it. He had now booked himself on a first aid course, the only constructive thing he had managed to do since the accident. The guilt of the damage he could have done by picking her up had eaten away at him until he found a practical outlet for it. And as he wasn't working it wasn't as if he didn't have the time!

Sam felt strange letting himself into Mercedes house. Even with the key he still felt like he was intruding. The house felt cold and lifeless. Even when he had previously let himself in to prepare her surprise dinner it didn't feel like this. Even though it was morning it still felt dark. All the life had been sucked out of the place. It was simply a house rather than a home. Puck was with him. Quinn was with Mercedes and Dionne and he felt like a spare wheel. He also wanted to get Sam's side of the story after being around so much female Sam hate. Sure he was as mad as the others for Sam's silence, but after the chance he had been given by Mercedes, he was willing, just this once, to extend it to Sam.

The first thing Sam did was go upstairs and retrieve the overnight things that he had left in his room in the haste to go in the ambulance. Taking a peek in her bedroom he saw the unmade bed and his breath caught in his throat. Not knowing what to do he stood for a while just staring before making the bed and restoring it to its fully made glory. He also picked up the unused condoms from where they had fallen from the pillow to the floor and made sure that the used ones were well hidden in the trash. The last thing he wanted was Dionne to come in to tidy up and see _that_. Puck had opened his mouth to make a comment but wisely closed it before any sound came out.

The time he had taken upstairs allowed him the space to brace himself to return to the downstairs rooms. The first one he tackled was the lounge. The couch was heavily stained with blood where her head had lay, and on the floor was the empty packet from the dressing that the paramedic had used for the wound. He couldn't bring himself to touch it.

Puck looked at it with a critical eye. "Dude, I don't think that can be cleaned."

A quick call to Maddie at the office had her going through the receipts and invoices for the card account for the house to hunt down where it was bought so that she could order a replacement.

That left the kitchen. The scene of the crime. He was going to have to clean that blood himself with Puck's help. They stood at the entrance and it was exactly as he had left it. The stool was even still up against the work surface underneath the cupboard where she had been reaching. Sam felt Puck's reassuring hand on his shoulder as he fought to keep his composure and his breakfast down.

It was okay for Puck. He didn't have the sound of her head hitting the floor ringing through his ears. There was more blood on the floor than he remembered and suddenly he was remembering CSI and how blood was difficult to clean and maybe he would need to get professional cleaners.

"What's this?" Puck bent down and picked up something small and plastic. Sam took it from his hand. It was a heart shaped cookie cutter. Closing his eyes he went back into his memory. As he had picked Mercedes up from the floor he had heard a couple of things fall to the floor from her hand but had paid no attention. Now he was left to wonder. Why would Mercedes climb all the way up just for cookie cutters? What was the surprise that she didn't want him to spoil?

"Can you see any more of these?" Suddenly Sam was on the floor, scrabbling around. He picked up one that had landed against the leg of the stool while Puck found one underneath the table. Three cookie cutters. A heart and two letters, an 'I' and a 'U'. Suddenly his head began to spin. She had been trying to say something. "I… You…" Placing the heart in the middle of the two letters made it into a sentence.

Sam's legs gave way and he had to sit on the floor against the wall.

"Shit Sam!" Puck finally saw the three cookie cutters together and came to the same realization.

Sam now knew what Mercedes was trying to say. She loved him. She _did _love him! Not only that, she was planning to say it _before_ she fell. It wasn't a hallucination. It wasn't a dream. This wasn't for Riley it was for _him! _And now he had screwed things up beyond repair. He had gone and let her confused concussed rambling ruin everything by taking it too seriously!

She loved him!

And he loved her!

But now he had blown things to pieces by rejecting his girls just when they needed him the most!

This time it was his turn to break down and he was so grateful that Puck was there to be with him.

Dionne was right. He needed to fix his shit.

He _had _to fix this!

His future happiness depended on it…

_Their _future happiness depended on it...


	32. Picking Up The Pieces

_**This chapter is a little heavy but not in a depressing way (hopefully). The chapter title came from the Paulo Nuttini song Rewind which has been in my head all week and sort of fits the mood of Samcedes at the moment.**_

* * *

Mercedes had no appetite and this time she couldn't blame the hospital food, good as it actually was. As well as the permanent underlying headache and shoulder pain, she felt sick. It wasn't an upset stomach sort of a sick, it was a sick and disgusted with herself and her behavior kind of feeling.

Her memory thankfully hadn't taken long to come back. By the time Dr Chang had come to examine her on the morning after she woke up, she knew that the Caymans trip was over and eagerly told him about the day that she had spent with Anthony Hamilton. They discussed their mutual love of music, he had gushed about her performance with Anthony at the charity gala which he had missed but admitted to looking up the performance on 'YouTube' when he found out who his celebrity patient was and admitted to having quite a large music collection himself. When he noticed she was feeling down he attempted to make her smile by admitting that the reason he loved music was because he was a bit of a dancer himself. Her initial laughter at that turned to awe when he pulled out an impromptu performance, culminating in a knee slide across the room from which he miraculously appeared to pull himself up from a kneeling position without even using his hands. He needed to have serious skills and muscles to pull that off! She recognized a part of herself in him. Someone who had dreamed of one life and ended up with another. He was a damned good neurologist but underneath he was still a dancer just like she was a singer. She would tease him about being popular with the nurses and he would tease her about the super-rich boyfriend. Then she would get sad and the teasing stopped. He was strictly professional and he knew where to draw the line when it came to her personal life.

But Dr Chang was seriously impressive. And if she didn't have Sam she would have tried to flirt with him. Only... she _didn't_ actually have Sam. Did she? Surely she would have known or at least sensed that they were broken up? She had tried so hard to work out what the problem was and truly had no idea. The worst part was that nobody else seemed to have a clue either. And it wasn't that they were simply trying to cover for Sam, they genuinely didn't know what was going on themselves. Holly seemed the most upset. She wanted to take the blame herself and Mercedes wasn't even sure what the hell she was taking the blame for.

Something was wrong but for the life of her she couldn't work out what. And the worse thing was, the more her memories came back, the more intimate they became. She remembered a dinner. She remembered Sam singing. And most of all, she remembered the way that it made her feel... Yes she had her walls, she lived with her damn walls. But somehow, Sam had managed to break them down. And it wasn't as if he was on some charm offensive of full seduction. He was just being himself. This slightly goofy guy with a large helping of amazing.

But she was the one who had jumped his bones and straddled him on the chair. Sure he had carried her up the stairs like a caveman but she was the one riding him with total abandon. It was good sex. It was _great_ sex. But it seems that's all it was. As usual she had been reading too much into the situation. He had said he wanted a future with her. He had taken her and Chey away, but once she finally gave it up he was gone like a shadow in the dark. Maybe if she'd had a little more self-control she could have held on to him longer. Her judgment when flawed when it came to sexual feelings. She knew this and she still went ahead and did it anyway. It was a selfish move and she only had herself to blame.

But she was now a stronger and more self-confident Mercedes Jones. It was only sex. It wouldn't break her. If Sam could brush it off so easily and move on with his life then why couldn't she? Why couldn't she take things at face value the same way he did? They spend a night together and it was good. _Really good_. And now he had moved on. That was fine. He had no idea what having sex meant to her. How serious it was. How tied up with emotion it was.

And he was never going to find out. Why should she make herself vulnerable like that? It only results in hurt. They were two consenting adults who had sex. It's not as if it's the kind of thing that doesn't happen every day in the world. Hell, it's not as if the two of them hadn't done that before with each other either! She could deal with this. She could move on from it. Avoiding her was fine. What she had the problem with was him avoiding Chey.

Now that the damn was broken, he was probably holed up in his swanky apartment balls deep in another woman's pussy. Again that was fine, she clearly had no claim on him. But how was she supposed to answer their child when she asked where he was and if they were going to see him today? He could do what he liked with her and the relationship between them, but to go from a loving father who went out of his way to spend time with his child to vanishing off the face of the planet was just cold. Chey didn't deserve it. There's no point building up a relationship to tear it down without notice. And again it was her fault. She let Sam in. He only asked for one meal a week and she gave him more. Maybe it was too much for him to handle. Maybe he realized the responsibility of everything and felt the need to back off.

That was fine with her. Now she understood she knew how to act. He only wanted a limited amount of time with Chey and he could have that. She was contractually obligated to one meal a week with him and they would do that. Other than that he was off the hook as far as it came to Chey. Daddy would be the reserve of lunch at the weekend. Other kids had that and they were fine with it. Chey would learn to adjust too. She was young enough to get into a routine before she became aware of how much of a burden she was being to him.

The two nights Mercedes spent alone in the hospital after waking up were long, dark, lonely and plagued with thoughts and what ifs…

* * *

The harshness of morning hit Mercedes hard and she groaned quietly as sleep raced away from her. Finally she was in a room she knew. A room that was familiar. A room that had been hers for so many years. Sensing a presence in the bed she turned her head to see Chey snuggled beside her. She must have snuck in during the night. It was something she used to do when she was younger but had thankfully grown out of it. Mommy's bed was to be shared for naps but during the night she had her own bed. Nightmares were an exception and even then she would wake Mercedes and ask to come into the bed. The child kicked like a donkey and it wasn't conducive to sleep.

This time she had managed to get in without Mercedes even noticing. She must have been in a deep sleep. All she could think now was that she had a pounding headache. Chey's face was very close to hers and she leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead. She was so beautiful. Mercedes knew she thought it every time she looked at her daughter but it never stopped being true. And when she was asleep and not talking the hind legs of a donkey she was even more precious. There was so much of Sam in her features it was scary. Since he had come into their lives she could see it more and more. The nose was all his, especially when it came to the smiley scrunch and the lopsided grin was definitely him all over.

Why the hell was she thinking about Sam right now? Chey was her focus, not him. She went to touch Chey's curls but her shoulder reminded her that sudden movements were painful. Instead she kissed her child again and smiled against her skin causing her to stir. "Mommy?"

She smiled. "Hey baby."

Chey snuggled sleepily against her before flinging her arm around her for a proper cuddle. Unfortunately she put her hand to her sore shoulder and squeezed tight causing excruciating pain and red flashes behind her eyelids, making her scream out, "CHEY! AAARGH GET OFF!"

The little girl leaped back as if she'd been slapped before wailing, scrambling off the bed and fleeing out the door.

"Shit!" Mercedes cursed as she tried to work out which hurt more, her head or her shoulder. "CHEYENNE!" Dragging herself upright, she took a moment for the world to stop moving before reaching over to her cabinet and swallowing two of the painkillers she'd been discharged from hospital with and washing them down with water.

Swinging her legs over the bed she slowly stood. She felt like she'd woken up too fast and her shoulder was throbbing. She'd upset Chey and she felt terrible.

Slowly edging her way down the stairs she found Chey wailing into the arms of a confused Dionne. She sobbing hysterically and nothing her mom could do would comfort her. Dionne looked up at her with a questioning stare and she slowly shook her head and knelt in front of where they were sat stroking Chey gently on the back.

"Chey honey, Mommy's sorry she scared you. Mommy has a sore shoulder and you touched it when I wasn't expecting you to and it hurt a lot. I didn't mean to shout. I know it was an accident and mommy's not mad at you."

Chey continued to cry by she was quieter this time. Mercedes continued to stroke her back and leaned forward to kiss her head. "Mommy is sooooo sorry and wants to kiss you and make you feel better." Feeling tears pricking her eyes at her daughter's distress she continued to reassure her.

It took a few minutes but the little girl eventually calmed. "Chey baby, I need you to look at me. I need to talk to you okay?"

Chey finally sniffled and raised her head from Dionne's breasts to look up at her with a red nose and those heartbreaking huge brown eyes. Dionne stood and let the child clamber over to her mother and they then began the most heartbreaking conversation of Mercedes' life.

* * *

Mercedes cursed as one of her tears dropped off her chin and landed into the bowl of pancake batter. She was still shaking from her conversation with Chey. What had begun with her explaining to her daughter that just like when she had banged her knee and it was sore and she didn't want anything to touch it, that's how mommy's shoulder was. She could squeeze her and hug her round the middle as much as she liked but she had to be careful with mommy's shoulder while it was healing. She thought it would be straightforward. She had no idea how much of the accident Chey had taken to heart.

She didn't even hear her mom enter the kitchen and slip her arms around her waist. "Chey's upstairs playing."

Mercedes turned slightly and rested her head on her mom's shoulder. "I've messed up mom. She hates me!"

"She doesn't hate you. She's just confused, that's all. The world is a very different and over simplistic place when you're only six."

"Did she say anything when I was in hospital?"

"She was upset. She kept asking if the reason she couldn't see you and Sam was because she was naughty."

"Oh mom-"

"Hush. It's not your fault. Children always blame themselves. We didn't want to bring her to the hospital before you woke up because we didn't want her to be upset but in the end we had to, so we said you'd fallen asleep and she could just give you a quick kiss, leave the card for you to see when you wake up and go. Mostly that visit we were outside chatting to the doctor and nurses and getting her used to the environment in case you were going to be in there a while."

"She shouldn't have had to go through that."

"It couldn't be helped. And Sam not being around made things so much worse-"

"She asked me. She asked if daddy and I went away because she didn't like us holding hands and kissing. She said if she was a good girl would it go back to normal again! She said she wouldn't complain ever again because she likes mommy and daddy really, she just wanted more kisses for herself." Dionne pulled her tight as Mercedes began to cry in earnest. "I've messed up my child mom. She blames herself for something that was my fault!"

"Hush Mercy! It wasn't your fault as much as it wasn't hers. It was an accident and accidents happen."

"But I ruined things with Sam. I screw everything up. I'm just not worth this!"

Dionne pulled back and lifted Mercedes chin so that she looked at her. "Now listen! I never want to hear you talking like that. _Ever! You hear me?_" She stroked her daughter's cheek gently before kissing it. "It sounds like there's messed up feelings all round at the moment but nothing is ruined unless you want it to be. Chey loves you and a child's love in unconditional. All she needs is reassurance and love in return and I already know that you're damn good at that already. You are worth more than your weight in gold and everyone can see that. Somehow things have got a little messed up but all you need to do is take a little step back and work your way through it."

"That's easy for you to say mom."

"No it isn't. It's hard. As your mom I want to but in and interfere and fix things to make them all better for you but I can't. I have to let you find your own way in the world, and it's the hardest thing that a mother has to do other than pushing a watermelon out of a drinking straw! There's lots of people hurting right now and the way to fix it is to talk things through. Talk to Chey and let her know she's not to blame. You know how she is, you tell her something and she's forgotten it thirty seconds later so tell her again and again! Tell her that you love her and tell her that her daddy loves her too."

Mercedes scoffed and Dionne glared at her. "I'm serious! Whatever yours and my feelings are towards that man right now, he braved coming here when he knew he wasn't welcome just to see her. A lesser man wouldn't have bothered. He did that because his love for her was greater than his fear of me. And that's how it should be. Talk to Chey and talk to him because he's hurting too."

"I don't want to talk to him."

"Well that's tough because you're both going to have to talk to Chey together which means you can't avoid it."

Mercedes opened her mouth to reply but was overwhelmed by a sense of dejavu. I was happening to her a lot as her memories kept coming back in pieces. She frowned and touched her head.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just… we were going to talk to Chey together."

"You and Sam?"

"Yeah." Mercedes turned and started stirring the batter again. "I'm not ready to talk to him."

"You don't have to do it today. Right now you have to put your child first and do what's best for her."

"I will."

"That's good. But ultimately, the thing that's going to be best for her is having her parents back on decent terms. I'm not saying you have to get back together, I'm saying you have to talk, _properly_, about what happened and about the issues that surround it. You owe that to her and you owe it to yourselves. You have missing gaps Mercedes and you need to fill them before you can move on."

"Yes ma."

Mercedes didn't feel light fighting and it was never worth fighting when she knew deep down that as usual, her mother was right. She reached for the cinnamon and tipped a little into the batter. "Do you have any raisins ma?"

Dionne's eyebrow was raised. "This is a new flavor!"

Mercedes looked down at the bowl as if she was seeing it for the first time. She hadn't even realized what she was doing. "Yeah. She likes these. They're daddy pancakes because he makes this flavor for her. I figure if she's missing him she'd like them."

The response was a knowing look. "Third cupboard. You should find half a bag or so near the back."

"Thanks-"

Mercedes turned around but her mother had gone.

She looked at the time and cursed. Her head was splitting but it was far too soon to take more painkillers. She was just going to have to struggle through. As the morning was so late she added sausages and tomatoes and made it into a brunch which Artie joined them for. She could tell he was concerned about her but kept his words to a minimum. He would approach her in his own time with his own brand of advice, but this time, minus the shoulder massage.

Chey was upstairs playing and she was half way up the stairs herself to rest her pounding head when there was a knock on the door. Dionne opened it and she heard Sam's voice. At first she couldn't believe that he would dare to pitch up here, then she heard the jangle of keys and realized that he was bringing them back. She wanted to continue on her way but something was pulling her back. "Sam?"

Dionne turned back and looked at her and when Mercedes nodded she pulled the door wider to reveal Sam. He looked distraught. "Mercedes! Mercedes I haven't had a chance to apologize-"

She held her hand up. She didn't have the time or the energy to deal with him right now, but other people were more important. "Do you need to rush off?"

A glimmer of hope passed over his eyes. "No. I've got no plans today."

"Do you want to hang out with Chey for a bit while I lie down?"

A huge grin spread over his face. "Sure! Does that mean we can talk-"

"Not today Sam. I can't cope with that. But it would be good for Chey to see you."

Her mom shot her a measured look before opening the door wide and allowing him to step inside. Seeing him made her heart burn with emotion. At the hospital she had been careful not to look him in the eyes but this time it was unavoidable. And it hurt. Too much.

Why?

The hardest thing in the world was for her to drag her eyes away from him but she had to for the sake of her sanity. Turning round she shouted up the stairs. "Chey! Daddy's here to see you."

There was the sound of an excited squeal followed by something crashing and she didn't like to think what it was but the approaching footsteps signaled that all was well.

"Mercedes-"

As always, the way he pronounced her name made her stomach flip but she had to stay strong. "Sam, we need to talk to Chey. But not today. And we need to talk to her together."

This time the dajavu hit her even harder as she clutched her head. And now it was not just a thought but also a feeling. A warm feeling. They'd had this discussion before. She remembered being close and his arms around her. She remembered feeling warm and loved and knowing that she finally had someone to share the raising of Chey with. She remembered-

"DADDY!" Chey's eyes were alive as she skipped past her mother into Sam's arms and Mercedes turned and rushed up the stairs before her tears became evident.

Seeing Sam was hard for so many reasons, but of all days, today she was stuck with what he had said at the hospital about her not being over Riley. How _dare _he make such an assumption! How could he pretend to know how she felt, what she was over and what she wasn't over! As far as she remembered, she hadn't even thought about Riley for a while. Reaching for her wallet when she got to her room she opened it and pulled out the picture of Chey. Immediately behind it was another picture. It was of Riley in his Letterman jacket. He had his trademark grin and his arm was raised, trying unsuccessfully to shield himself from having the picture taken. It looked so relaxed and free and happy. That's why it was her favorite picture. She used to pull it out and look at it all the time. Now no so much.

But then she thought about it again. After all these years, and the fact that she had moved on with Sam she was still carrying his picture in her wallet. Was that healthy? Shouldn't it be Sam's picture there now?

Her head throbbed as her tears rolled from her face to her pillow. What if Sam was actually right? Tired as she was, she thought back to her final therapy session with Dr Zizes:

_"So how you feel?"_

_Mercedes fidgeted with her fingers. "I don't know. Lots of things really. Mostly bittersweet."_

_"Why bittersweet?"_

_"I guess... I've kind of become attached to our little sessions... Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm off the meds and that I technically have no need for these sessions anymore, but I'm going to miss these opportunities to talk and think things through so honestly."_

_The doctor's expression was serious. "But you have people you can talk to, right?"_

_"Of course. There's my mom who's been brilliant and there's Quinn and the occasional group sessions we drop in on but... I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm going to miss you!"_

_"Oh." Dr Zizes pushed her glasses up her nose as she habitually did, but there was no hiding the smile that played at the corner of her lips. "Thanks. That's really flattering. And can I just say that I've enjoyed our sessions too, even the times when you were determined to try me and not bother to speak at all."_

_Mercedes laughed. "I wasn't trying you, I just didn't know what to say!"_

_Lauren laughed as she allowed Mercedes to pull her into a hug. After a couple of moments she reached to her desk and picked up a card. "I know you've been through as much as you can with me, but in my professional opinion there's still a couple of things that can take you even further forward."_

_Mercedes squinted at the name on the card she had been handed. _

_"This is my friend and colleague Trent. He deals specifically with bereavement counseling."_

_"Bereavement?"_

_"I'm not saying you need to see him in the same way you've seen me. I just think it would be good for you to talk the whole Riley thing over with someone with his level of expertise. You've admitted on more than one occasion that you feel he's a bit of an emotional crutch for you and Trent can help you to find other ways to channel your feelings while keeping his memory alive."_

_"You think I'm not over him?"_

_"I think you still have things you want to talk about. It doesn't have to be today. Just keep the card and go when you're ready."_

_Mercedes wanted to feel offended, but she knew that Lauren only pointed things out when she was concerned. "I'll think about it," was the best she could offer._

_"That's all I'm asking Mercedes."_

_She had taken the card and carried it around for weeks. At one point she had called to make an appointment but had to cancel because Chey was sick and she couldn't get a sitter at the last minute._

_Somehow the appointment never got rearranged…_

* * *

"So how did it go?" Dionne stood up from her seat in the waiting room as Mercedes stepped out of Dr Chang's office.

Mercedes indicated for her to sit back down and took the seat next to her. "It was fine. He was very reassuring. He says I have something called post-concussive syndrome which is very normal and explains the headaches and occasional dizziness. He's referred me for some repeat scans just to be on the safe side and says I still can't drive for the time being."

"That makes sense. It's best to take all the precautions you can."

"But he says I can go back home if I want to. I only needed checking up on for the first couple of days but I can take things from here with Chey."

"I told you. Stay as long as you need but if you want to go and he says it's okay then I can't stop you."

"Thanks mom. I guess I'm just missing my own space after having it for so long."

"Did he give you any other advice?"

"Not really. Just that I have to avoid stress and keep my blood pressure down."

"We can do that too." Dionne stroked her daughter's arm. "But I hope you're not going to twist his words."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you can't forever use the word stress to replace another word beginning with 'S'."

"Another word?"

"Or should I say _name _beginning with 'S'?"

Mercedes sighed. "I wasn't faking the headache when he came for lunch with Chey!"

"I know. But you might find that once you've talked it may actually relieve some stress and you can both finally be back on the same page again. Right now it's just tension between the two of you, and if I can feel it then Chey can feel it too and we don't want that."

She sighed. "I'll talk to him mom, I promise."

"Good. Because he's more than ready to talk to you too and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I actually think you should hear him out."

"Mom! I can't believe you-"

"I'm not saying I condone his behavior because I don't, and I've made it abundantly clear to him that I don't, but he needs to look you in the eye and explain himself and you need to hear what he has to say."

Mercedes said nothing. This was her mom saying her piece. She was only going to say it once and it wouldn't be revisited again. But she knew she had been told and had to act. And she would. But right now she still really didn't want to talk about it. She looked at her watch. "We need to go and collect Chey."

"No. Not today. She has a play date."

"Of course! Emma's mom's picking her up and giving her dinner." Every minor lapse in memory caused her to panic and Dionne saw this.

"Don't worry. It was a last minute arrangement because you thought you might be late out from your appointment. I never actually told you that it was confirmed."

"Oh. Okay."

"How are you feeling now? Fancy stopping for a coffee on the way home? I'm not ready to give Artie the car back just yet."

Mercedes smiled. "Doc C says I'm still banned from alcohol and coffee but I'm pretty sure there's a hot chocolate with my name on it!"

"Doc C?"

Mercedes grinned. "For a neurologist he's pretty cool."

"And attractive!"

"Yes mom. _And attractive_. But I already told you, I'm off men at the moment."

"Hmph! An attractive doctor always speeds up the healing process."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and pretended that she didn't see her mother's grin. She missed their banter.

By the time they'd had their drinks and returned home her head was pounding again and she was eager to lie down. But it didn't stop her from spotting Sam's car as they made their way to the front door.

"What's he doing here?"

"Probably come to see Artie."

Mercedes stopped a few steps short of the front door. "Why?"

"About the wedding."

"What's your wedding got to do with Sam?"

Dionne sighed. "Nothing. But when we changed the date to give you time to recover he insisted on helping out due to the deposits Artie lost from the last minute cancellations. He's feeling bad for what happened and can pull more strings than we can. This whole wedding was always Artie's project so I let him decide. The only thing I have to do for this is get the dresses and turn up. Sam knows his invitation to the wedding has been revoked but he still wants to help anyway."

"You revoked his invitation?"

"I was mad at him. I said a lot of things. But seriously, it's too special a day and if you're not enjoying it because of his presence then I won't enjoy it either. You always come first to me Mercedes. Never forget that."

Mercedes was stunned. It was like her brain still hadn't fully processed the repercussions of what had happened. Her chats with Quinn had revealed that Puck was feeling awkward seeing as he was stuck between two best friends but she hadn't thought about the family connections too. Things with her and Holly were fine because she could separate their friendship from family but she forgot how things like weddings brought everyone together.

As for Artie, she remembered that he had insisted on planning this whole thing alone. He'd put a lot of effort in and probably did lose a lot of money through cancelling. It couldn't have been an easy decision but she understood why he let Sam help, especially as she was letting Sam into the house, so she had no reason to judge him for it.

The two men were sitting in front of Sam's laptop when they walked in and both immediately stood.

"How did it go?"

Artie was the one who spoke but Sam's eyes were trained on her and they were full of worry.

"It was fine. I have post-concussive syndrome and he's going to redo my scans tomorrow just to be on the safe side, but he says he's confident that my symptoms will resolve on their own with rest."

Sam opened his mouth to say something but clearly thought the better of it.

"So I'm just going to lie down. You guys carry on, and Sam I'll text you later."

Before he could reply she turned and left.

It wasn't fair. Every time she saw Sam her heart hurt. She wasn't over him and she wasn't going to be for a long time yet.

* * *

"How would you feel about Stevie if I was hurt in hospital and he went AWOL and didn't even see the boys?"

Sam felt like he was getting it at every turn. It was his own fault for going to Stevie's when Puck had finally got him to pull himself together after finding the cookie cutters. His friend told him that he shouldn't be alone and he was right. He'd sat outside in his car for a couple of hours just thinking things over before finally going in. Stacey had called him and given him a piece of her mind and now he was at the house, Holly was doing the same. But hers was worse. She was being so damn _nice_ about it. But when she explained it to him like _that_ he wanted to put himself into a chokehold.

"I know that Stevie, Stacey and Dionne all let rip at you, and to be honest, there was a point when I was ready to come at you with the wrath of a thousand jilted women, but Stevie calmed me down and played devil's advocate for you. He explained that you were upset and he explained why. I still don't understand why you took it to the lengths you did but at least I've calmed down enough to play the good cop to their bad cops and believe me, this is hard for me to do because I love Mercedes and watching her trying to hold it together because we were there and we are your family was the hardest thing to do."

"I'm sorry I put you in that position H."

"Damn right you should be! I believed in you guys before you even believed in yourselves! I saw your natural chemistry the first time you brought her here and could tell right from Thanksgiving that your feelings towards her were changing. As your sister in law and her friend I don't think there's anyone who wanted to see you together more than I did, but Sam I have to be brutally honest and say that even though I still love you, right now don't think you deserve her!"

Sam said nothing and simply hung his head. There was nothing that he could say.

"That's not to say that I think you were being malicious because I know you weren't."

"Of course I wasn't. I was hurting!"

"I know. And you still are. You just weren't thinking. You were so caught up in your own pain that you didn't think of anyone else and that was wrong Sam."

"I thought it was all over Holly! I thought she had forgotten about our entire relationship. I couldn't handle that! It broke me!"

"You _thought_ Sam. You didn't hang around long enough to check though, did you!"

"I couldn't face it!"

"So you left Mercedes to face it all on her own! She wanted you! She asked for you! She called you as soon as she woke up!"

Sam slumped back against the couch they were sitting on and ran his hands over his face in frustration. "But I'm not the one she really wants H. Whatever she may have thought she wanted and thought she felt, I'm not the one she was seeing herself being married to and having children with!"

"Okay so she mentioned her ex. She'd just been knocked the hell out!"

"This isn't just any ex. This was her first love who died thirteen years ago and who she hasn't gotten over. Even her mom looked nervous when I mentioned his name."

Holly stared hard at him and tilted her head slightly. "How do you know she hasn't gotten over him?"

"Because he's more than just her ex! He's her emotional crutch! She already told me that when she was pregnant with Chey and thought I had rejected her she used to dream that he was the father of the baby instead. He's where she goes to when she feels she had nothing else. And despite everything she still dreams about him now. I can't compete with that! I'll never be able to compete with that! "

Holly grabbed his wrist. "You're here in the flesh Sam, this guy isn't."

"That's true. But he's taken residency in her heart and there isn't room for me too. I want to be in her heart H. I want her to feel the way I do. I want her to love me like I do. But if she can't then I have to set her free. I have no choice."

"Are you sure that she doesn't love you?'

Sam thought back to finding the cookie cutters. The initial joy followed by devastation followed by rationalization. Maybe she had been caught up in the moment. Maybe he had misread their meaning and it was actually something for Chey. He wanted believe it, but believing made things even more painful. "I don't think she's sure of her feelings. She might think she loves me but maybe she's just not ready for a relationship. I can't push her into something. She's been through so much. She has to be free."

Holly gripped him tighter. "And what about Chey? You can't just set her free. She's an Evans. She will always be part of your life. From the start you always said that they came as a package. You can't go back on that now!"

"So what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to her. Grovel like mad for the shit you put her through then tell her what happened. Tell her your fears. Tell her _why_ you felt the way you did. Mercedes isn't a bitch and what you told me about the way she handled Puck means you've got a better chance of her forgiving all your crap than you have with pretty much anyone else on this planet including me."

"But she doesn't want to talk to me!"

"Just give her time Sam. Let her come to you..."

Holly was interrupted by the sound of small cry coming through the baby monitor next to the couch. With a sigh she reluctantly stood. "I have to feed the boys now but I mean what I said, you have to give her time and you have to let her come to you."

* * *

Giving Mercedes space was the hardest thing in the world. She was going through so much and he wanted to be right there alongside her but he knew that he had blown his chance for the place at her side for the time being. The worst part was his time off work only meant he had more free time to worry and wallow in his feelings. It wasn't good.

"Mr Evans! You're back _again_?" Maddie looked up at him with an expression that was as much worry as it was surprise.

He forced a smile. "Just a couple of hours. I wanted to finish something up."

"Shall I bring you some coffee?"

"That would be wonderful Maddie. Thank you."

She smiled and allowed him to head into his office. There wasn't really anything that desperately needed doing and Sam slightly resented the fact that everything was pretty much under control in his absence. Obviously the fact that his hotel launch project was now finished took away a huge chunk because it was his personal project that Stevie had given to him, but he was still starting to feel a little redundant. The much needed rest he was supposed to be taking was turning out to be a curse. He needed distraction, not endless free time.

His talks with Stevie and Dionne played through his mind constantly, especially his one with Dionne. She may be a lot of things, but top of that list was 'fair' and he couldn't fault her for it. Despite everything he still liked and respected her far more than he ever thought that he would. She wasn't to be messed with and she didn't tolerate foolishness.

He had been stunned when he had turned up at her home for the second time. All he had hoped to do was hand back the spare key, let her know that there was a new couch being delivered, the house had been cleaned and maybe ask how Mercedes was doing after her first night out of hospital. He suspected that Mercedes wasn't ready to talk to him yet but it was always worth a try and he hadn't actually had the chance to tell her how sorry he was yet. What he wasn't expecting was to be invited in and offered time with Chey. Both women had said that his contact with Chey would now be minimal and he had been wracking his brains to find a way around it. A legal approach probably would have worked, but he didn't want to alienate Mercedes and destroy the potential of fixing things between them romantically. Their closeness had grown through spending unenforced time with Chey and that's what they needed to do again if she was ever going to rebuild her trust in him.

He'd expected the cold shoulder while he shared moments with his little girl, but what he got were reheated pancakes, cinnamon and raisin no less, which had apparently been made by Mercedes. She _definitely_ hadn't forgotten everything. Dionne hadn't said much, other than the fact that there was a good chance her wedding was going to be moved to a later date and he would no longer be welcome there even though the rest of his family still were after the invitation was extended to them at Christmas.

She had left them to their own devices which would have been drawing and coloring but Chey had been so clingy that then ended up on the couch watching TV with Artie who spent the entire time saying nothing. He was having to live in the house with the two women and Sam didn't blame him one bit. Sam wanted to reach out to him but had no idea how. Still, it was nice to have Chey curl up on his lap and fall asleep on him and Sam knew, if they were going to find their way back together, it would be through this special, beautiful little girl.

Mercedes admission that they needed to talk about Chey was coupled with a text from her later that evening inviting him round for lunch at the weekend. He hadn't expected that at all. He'd taken the Happy Meal threat seriously. They would have been perfectly within their rights to do that and not be breaking the terms of the agreement Mercedes had signed. It would be a cold and low blow, but the power was in their hands to do it. Yet somehow, he had an invitation to the house. He knew there was a chance of them not having one to one time, but family time would still be good and there was still this conversation they needed to have with Chey.

It saddened him to think that they had just been about to sit Chey down together and talk to her about how mommy and daddy were now an item. Now all of that progress was erased. But more importantly than anything, he and Mercedes had to talk about what happened. He had to tell her what she had said and how it had made him feel. How he had reacted badly but how he still felt he _did_ have something to fear from Riley.

Then he'd got there and Mercedes stayed upstairs with a headache, leaving him to eat with Chey, Dionne and Artie. At first he had thought it was a set up and that she was avoiding him until he saw the concern on her mom's face and realized the headaches were a regular occurrence. Thankfully she was going back to see the neurologist. The time with Dionne and Artie started awkward but they made the meal all about Chey and it went better than expected. It was after the meal when he was helping to clear the table that Dionne let slip about the wedding being postponed so that Mercedes didn't have to travel while she was still unwell. That's when he'd spoken to Artie and _that's _when he offered his services. At first it was a straight refusal, as Sam expected, especially as he wasn't even invited to the thing anymore, but the more he spoke to Artie the more he was able to persuade him to let him the more he could see him being worn down, especially as Sam knew for a fact that he would have lost money for such last minute cancellation on a day like Valentines.

They'd left it that Artie would speak to Dionne and Sam left his number. The next day Artie said that he would go for it. Dionne had left the decision totally up to him and he just wanted the day to be as amazing as possible for her. It was all the prompting Sam needed. The fact that talking to Artie revealed that he didn't have the car because Dionne had taken Mercedes to her appointment in it was all the information Sam needed to invite himself round. He wanted to be there when Mercedes got back from her appointment because he probably wouldn't be told the result otherwise.

As it was, Artie's plans for the wedding had been pretty good and Sam was happy to use his contacts to up things a notch. Despite everything he had no hard feelings towards the couple and was genuinely grateful for the way they had been treating him when he knew damn well he didn't deserve it.

* * *

**I'm ready to talk**

Sam had to read the message several times and his heart was racing. It had been a week since she was out of hospital and she had just moved back into the house. Sam had no idea how that was going to affect his visits to Chey because he wasn't sure how welcome he was there anymore. Holly had taken the boys over for a visit but that's all he knew.

**When and where?**

He wanted to call and hear her voice and ask a million questions, but he knew her well enough to know that she liked the safe 'distance' of texting when she wasn't feeling confident.

**Unique's? Saturday morning? Chey's going to a movie then we can all lunch together. **

That made sense. Neutral territory like before.

**Sounds good to me.**

There was a pause for a few moments before she replied again.

**I can't drive so u'll have 2 bring us back**

Of course. He'd forgotten about that and quickly shot off two texts.

**I can also pick u up.**

**Or send a car if u prefer**

This time the answer was faster.

**No need. Going with one of school moms and want head clearing walk before meeting u**

He suspected had suspected that was the case but wanted to offer anyway.

**Thanks for this**

Again the reply was fast.

**It's what's necessary**

Even through electronic communication he could feel her tone and it hurt him. He decided to try something else to encourage conversation.

**You know my drivers are at your disposal at any time right?**

It was an offer that had been there since they had first reached their agreement about Chey but he felt she still needed reminding. Especially now that she was temporarily unable to drive.

**I know. See you Saturday.**

Epic failure and rejection. But she had initiated their meeting. He couldn't exactly complain about that!

* * *

Sam watched as she slowly stirred her hot chocolate, staring hard at the foam on the top as it swirled. She looked good, really good. Her hair was down with a side parting that caused hair to cascade down one side of her face, which he knew was because she was hiding her injury and it worked. With her hair down you couldn't see a thing. She was wearing ankle boots, black skinny jeans which made her ass look delicious and a thick cowl necked top in pink with silver sparkles down one arm.

Sam had arrived ten minutes early, and knowing that she wasn't allowed coffee, took the decision himself that she was probably going to be wanting something a little stronger than herbal tea. It was also freezing outside and she wasn't going to be wanting to wait on a drink. Sweet treats could be chosen in person at any time.

She had spied him on the quiet corner table they had sat at before and quickly made her way over after a brief smile at wave to Wade who was busy frothing milk and chatting to a customer while Sunshine cleaned behind him.

"Hey!"

"Hey." Without conscious thought he had stood at her approach and pulled out her seat for her while helping her off with her coat. The intimate action caught them both unawares, but as they had already started there was no choice but to complete it and sit back down.

"Thanks for the chocolate. It's just what I needed."

Sam simply nodded, not entirely sure how to open the conversation.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. The headaches have definitely eased up over the last couple of days and my repeat scans were normal."

"That's good news." He would have asked more but she had clearly drawn a line underneath that subject. Instead he decided to get straight to the point. "Mercedes I need to tell you how sor-"

"So have you managed to find out if Wade and Sunshine are an item yet?"

Sam clenched his jaw, aware that she was deflecting. With a sigh he shot a look back at the two behind the counter. "To be honest I still don't know. I'm pretty sure that Unique is into boys but Wade I have no idea about. He never dated while we were in college."

"Okay." Mercedes gripped the mug with both hands and took a small sip from her drink. "Have you been waiting here lo-"

"Stop Mercedes! Please. I'm trying to apologize to you. Please let me."

She opened her mouth to say something before silently slumping back in her seat, still clutching the mug for dear life.

"Mercedes I need to tell you how sorry I am, for everything. For the accident which was preventable, for moving you which probably made things worse and for not getting in touch while you were in hospital. That was the worst part. It was unforgiveable and I'm more sorry for that than words could ever convey."

She looked at him with cool eyes. "Don't feel sorry because of me. I'm grown up and can handle rejection. I've had plenty of experience in it. Chey is the one who deserves the apology."

"She's already had one from me and she'll be getting more."

"She needs more Sam. When I came out of hospital things were hard and I was soooo angry with you. Angry with the way that you treated me and angry with the way you treated Chey."

"Merce-"

"Let me finish Sam! I'm an adult. Shit happens between adults and I get that but Chey is just a kid. She may look like she's fine but she's not. I spoke to her when I got home and I found out that she blames herself. She thinks it's her fault that I was in hospital and that you didn't see her."

Sam's heart clenched._ Why would she think that?_

"She's a little girl Sam. She sees the world differently to us. She still believes that things happen as a direct consequence of her actions. She's got it into her head that everything was because she was jealous of us on holiday, and this happened so that she wouldn't get to see us anymore!"

Mercedes' voice wobbled at the end and Sam was speechless. He knew Chey would be sad but it hadn't occurred to him that she would go as far as blaming herself. It made him acutely aware of his lack of knowledge about children. He shook his head. "But why…"

"There's no logic to it. There never is. That's why we have to reassure her and why we have to do it together. She needs to see us as a united front and to do that we need things not to be awkward between us. I propose two things, first that we sit her down together and both tell her how much we love her and how nothing was her fault. And second, we make an effort to get back to an amicable arrangement. We did it before at the beginning and we can do it again. We're mature adults and I'm sure that we can find some way of being in each other's company without it being too weird. This is about Chey not about us."

"Shit!" Sam was having difficulty processing what Mercedes had said. It was devastating to think that a little girl was blaming herself for his crap behavior. He had thought that he couldn't feel any worse about it but clearly he could. "Of course Mercedes. I'll do whatever you think is right."

She said nothing, simply sipped her chocolate and stared at the table so he continued. "For what it's worth, my avoidance of Chey wasn't intentional. It was simply me being selfish and thoughtless. She reminds me so much of you, especially her big expressive eyes, and I was filled with so much guilt that I just couldn't face looking into them. It was never about her, it was about me. That was a huge mistake, it was wrong of me, and the word sorry doesn't go anywhere near the depth of feeling of regret that I have over the way I treated her. And the way I treated you."

He stared down at his mug and fingered the rim as the two of them sat in silence. "So will we talk to her today?"

"I think that's best. We can pick her up and go back to the house for lunch. But after that you'll have to go. We'll need a nap and I don't want Chey overexcited."

"Okay. Whatever you say." Sam hadn't expected to be allowed back into the house so soon so was happy to take whatever he could get. They stayed in silence for a few moments more before he finally broke it. "Can I explain why I stayed away now?"

She opened her mouth to say something and for a moment he thought she was going to refuse but she didn't. "I guess I need to hear this."

"You do. And I need to say it."

She tilted her head downwards and much as he wanted her to look him in the eyes he realized it was probably easier for her to listen without eye contact so he began anyway.

"When you fell, I had so much guilt. I know you probably don't remember the circumstances so I'll fill you in. You and I… We'd just… spent the night. And it was incredible. I mean _really incredible_. The most perfect thing ever. I woke up alone in your bed and felt cold because I didn't feel you in my arms. I found you in the kitchen. You'd taken one of the stools and stood on tiptoes reaching above the cupboards. When you saw my you almost lost your balance and that was the point I should have made you come down, but you looked so sexy up there in my shirt and not a lot else."

She shifted uncomfortably and he knew for a fact that she was blushing. "I was too busy enjoying the view to think about your safety. It was a different version of you. You were happy, flirty and your sexy radiated because it came from the way you were feeling within as well as how you looked on the outside. Then you missed your step climbing back down. You only missed it because you were distracted by flirting with me."

Mercedes lifted her head with a frown. "Wait. So when I fell, we hadn't argued or broken up?"

"No. Not at all. Things were the best between us that they had ever been. And then you-" He took a sharp intake of breath as again he relived the sound of her head hitting the floor and the fact that she looked like she was dead. "I panicked. I needed to get help but couldn't bear the thought of leaving you on the cold kitchen floor so I picked you up and brought you to the couch because I thought it would make you more comfortable. I know it was a stupid thing to do but I wasn't thinking. I swear I've already been on a first aid course this week to make sure I never act so stupidly again. But after I picked you up, you started to wake up but you were all confused and thought I was your husband."

"My husband!"

He smiled bitterly. "Yep. You were convinced we were married with kids. At first I was flattered but then I remembered something you said about dreaming about someone else being the father of your babies. I should have just left it there but suddenly it was my biggest fear come true. You may think that you're the one with insecurities but the truth is, I have them too, and that was my biggest one."

She narrowed her eyes and frowned at him, clearly not understanding what he was getting at. "I don't understand."

Sam ran his fingers through his hair and shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling exposed. "I need you to let me explain this Mercedes. When you first told me about Riley I was shocked that you had been through so much. I was surprised that you used the thought of him as an emotional crutch while you were pregnant but I was just so happy that you'd got through it that I didn't give it much thought. In fact, I'd pretty much forgotten about it until the night I stayed over when the twins were born. You showed me the box of Chey's baby things and inside was a picture that I guess had to be Riley. Your reaction is what worried me. You took the picture and immediately hid it. I knew who he was and there wouldn't have been any need to explain, but the fact that you felt that it was now something you needed to hide from me made me worry."

"I didn't mean to hide it."

"I know. That's probably why it bugged me so much. It was buried with your most precious memories but was the one thing you still felt you couldn't share. By that point I already knew that I cared for you, far more than just as the father of your child. But even that night I thought about what you'd said before about Riley and I wondered if I would ever have a chance with you because that would clearly there were still deep feelings there."

Mercedes instantly stiffened and became defensive. "He was my first love Sam. Our relationship meant a lot to me. It still does. Are you expecting me to just forget about it?"

"No! Of course not. I would never want to undermine what you guys had and I wouldn't dream of it. It's just that… well… That night I didn't sleep. I thought a lot about you. I thought about us and about Chey and if it could ever really happen. We'd talked about Moe and you were really forthcoming about what happened there but afterwards I couldn't help but wondered if the bigger threat to us hadn't been from Moe, but from someone who'd had a far greater impact on you."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because Riley was special. He wasn't just a boy. It wasn't just any old relationship. He was in your heart. He was in your dreams. He _still_ is in your dreams. Because you hadn't mentioned him again I didn't give it much thought and things between us, well, slowly but surely they went from strength to strength and I really thought you had feelings for me."

"I did! I mean I do! I mean I-"

He watched her as she got flustered and it lifted his hopes to see that her feelings for him had not completely died, even after everything he had put her through. "Mercedes, there's no other way of saying this. I messed up. Big time. I totally screwed up everything. It was my fault and I take all of the blame. When you were confused after the fall and said things that weren't right I got scared. I pushed you to give me an answer when you weren't in a position to be giving answers. Instead of being happy that you were seeing a future with children I was scared that it was with somebody else and not me. Those doubts and insecurities that I had left over from that night blew out of all proportion. You were dreaming but it wasn't of me. You saw your future but it wasn't with me. You had gone inside yourself and you weren't speaking with your head you were speaking with your heart. But I wasn't the one who was in there. The time and the effort I spent trying to win your heart was wiped with one bang of your head. It was like you were a computer that had been restored back to its factory settings. Everything that had been added was now wiped. Everything that we had built so far was wiped.

It broke my heart Mercedes. It broke my heart because I was the one responsible for your fall, and it broke my heart because you didn't remember me and you didn't remember what you felt. I was ready to tell you how I felt, I was ready to take a leap of faith, but it was all undone and any gesture would be fruitless. I couldn't take that Mercedes. All I could do was make sure that you were safe and leave you to heal. I took you to the hospital. I called your mom and I called Stevie to let them know what happened. When your mom came to the ER I filled her in on the accident then left. I knew that you needed her not me. You needed familiarity. The doctors said you were going to be fine so I knew you were in safe hands before I left. I had no idea it would take you so long to wake up."

There were tears in Mercedes' eyes. "But you stayed away Sam. Why did you stay away?"

"I was hurting. If I was honest I didn't even feel the time pass. This was where I was being selfish. I admit I was so caught up in my own grief and my own thoughts that I hid from the outside world. I switched off my phone and made sure that nobody could reach me."

"And Chey?"

"Chey was part of my guilt. I felt that if I couldn't protect you, I couldn't protect her either. I didn't deserve her. Plus I was convinced that you were lost to me. Looking at her would only remind me of what I nearly had and then lost so dramatically. She has your eyes and she has your expressiveness. Every time I thought about looking into them I broke down. I was a mess but the whole time I was thinking about myself, not you and Chey, and for that I will always be sorry. I was so caught up in myself that I didn't think of others. I was like an animal curled up in a cave licking its wounds. I was so lost in my hurt that I didn't think of the hurt of others. I didn't eat and I didn't sleep. I just wallowed in the world of 'what ifs'. That was wrong and in all the years that I live I know that I will never be able to make up for that wrong, even though I'll happily break my ass trying.

It was Stevie that first knocked sense into me. He charged round and pounded my door til he let me in. He told me that Holly was ready to kick my ass and made me explain myself. It was only when I found out that you'd been asking for me that I realized what an idiot I'd been. I had _assumed_ that you didn't want me. I didn't actually wait to find out. Then I checked my phone and realized that you'd called me as soon as you woke up. That meant so much and I missed it because I had decided that I couldn't face the world. I listened to your message over and over again. I wanted to go straight to the hospital but Stevie said no and he was right. I would have caused a scene after visiting ended and it was neither the time or the place. I also wanted to see Chey and to do that I knew I would have to get through your mom."

Mercedes let out a bitter chuckle.

"It's true. It was hard. But when you want something that bad you will do whatever it takes and if that meant taking on your mom then so be it. She didn't give me an easy ride but I never expected one after the way I had behaved. But your mother is a fair woman and I wouldn't have expected anything less from her. But being close to Chey was being close to you and I needed that so badly. I knew you would be mad at me the next day at the hospital but I had to go anyway. I had to at least try. It hurt me when you thought I only wanted you for sex. That wasn't true. That _isn't _true. The only thing that was true is what I said about you not being over Riley. I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did but I did want to let you know why it was that I had a hard time and felt the need to stay away. It's not an excuse but it is the truth."

He leaned forward and grabbed her hands which were still wrapped around her mug. She tried to pull it back but he held tight to force her to listen. "Mercedes, I'm still crazy about you. That's never going to change. But I want you to be mine, _really _mine. Maybe it's me. I know I have issues and right from the start I've always felt super protective of you and Chey. This Riley thing, I can't put my finger on it but something scares me. I feel like even though you're with me there's a part of you in your subconscious that's holding on to him. I'm here, in front of you, right now, but he's in your dreams and I can't reach there all on my own. I'm laying myself on the line and offering you everything but I need to be sure that I won't be sharing you with ghost."

Mercedes simply looked at him wordlessly. Her expression was unreadable and her eyes were filled with tears. Then in a flash she was up. "I need a minute."

Before he could say anything she'd hightailed it to the bathroom.

He leaned forward and rested his face in his hands. His gift of words wasn't the greatest. He knew what he wanted to say but they always ended up coming out as a garbled mass of ideas. He jumped as he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"Relax! It's only me." Wade started to massage the tight muscles. "Do you want me to go after her? Or shall I send Sunshine?"

Sam sighed. "She says she needs a minute and I have to respect that. I'm pretty sure she can't climb out of the window and her purse is still here so she can't run. I've just overloaded her with a lot of stuff and she needs a moment to process. Hell, _I _need a moment to process too."

Wade finished his massage with a final solid whack before sliding into the seat that Mercedes had vacated. "Looked intense. Wanna talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Fair enough."

Sam stared down at his now cold coffee. "I think I may have blown it though. I've just pushed her in a whole heap of directions all at once. I don't blame her for needing to step away for a bit."

Wade leaned forward and caressed Sam's cheek gently. "Look, I've known you for years and I've never seen you shine as bright as you did the day you came in with Mercedes and your little girl for the first time. It made your previous visits here with the lawyer make sense. But it wasn't just a formal arrangement. Watching you was a joy and I could spot the chemistry a mile off. You were proud of them that day, and you were drooling all over Mercedes at the karaoke night. You've got it bad for her and she's got it bad for you. Whatever may be lying across the path to your happiness, I truly believe you'll get over it."

He left it there and Sam sat with his thoughts while he returned with two small plates. "Carrot, walnut and spice muffins still warm from the oven. It's a new recipe and I expect a verdict."

Sam wasn't hungry but to humor his friend he broke a piece and as usual, Wades touch in the kitchen was perfection itself, but he was already on his way to the bathrooms before he could tell him. Just as he reached for the door Mercedes came out and shot him a wobbly smile before returning to her seat. Her face was puffy and her eye makeup was now gone. She wasn't crying but it was clear she'd had a pulling herself together moment.

"What's this?" She indicated towards the muffin.

"From Wade. He was just coming to make sure you were okay. They're carrot, walnut and spice, they're still warm and I can assure you they're amazing."

Mercedes nodded and picked it up, playing with the paper case but making no move to actually eat it. She looked on the verge of saying something and Sam had to fight really hard to keep quiet and allow her the space to express herself. He'd monopolized a huge amount of the conversation and now it was her turn to say her piece on the matter.

"Sam I-" She started then paused with a sigh and he couldn't help but feel that he was about to be on the receiving end of some very bad news. All he could do was quietly wait for his fate.

"Sam I have to say I was really hurt when you came by the hospital. First you're not there when I needed you the most. Then you say that I'm not over my ex because of something I said when I wasn't even conscious of it. I was mad at you Sam, really mad at you. And I was hurt too. The last things I could remember of us were good things and I couldn't understand what went wrong. When I was in hospital, all I had of you were my dreams, so for you to come and say that I wanted somebody else was a blow. I thought it was an excuse. I had hoped beyond all hopes that you were no longer a 'hit it and quit it' kind of man but it looked like I had been played. I was hurting and all I had to cling on to were my dreams."

"Mercedes I would never-"

"I need to explain my dreams to you Sam. I've never really spoken about them in any detail to anyone so you'll have to bear with me. When it came to Riley my dreams about him were specific. I didn't have any new information so they were always a rehash of what went before. We used to sit for hours in his motel room imagining what it would be like to have a house of our own. He said that I was his soulmate and that we would be together forever. He was always starting sentences with 'when we're married' and 'when the kids come along'. Every part of his dream involved me. He planned to work to help his family while setting a little aside for us. He was so old fashioned and wanted to be a traditional provider. He even asked me if I minded waiting a couple of years so that he could get a house. He wanted us to have a home and be properly married before we had kids. He loved children so much and adored his siblings when most kids his age found younger siblings to be a burden. He wanted a house full of laughter and love. He didn't care if we didn't have much, just as long as we had enough and we had each other. I'd never met a guy who was so grounded. Considering he was a jock, he was actually nothing like a jock. When I lost him I lost my dreams because all my dreams were tied up with him. He wanted the same things I did and thought the same way I did. My biggest regret was that he never got to have a child. Then when I got pregnant with Chey and my world imploded I found comfort in what could have been. I grew up without a father around and never wished my own child to be without one. Riley would have been the perfect father and in my dreams he was right there with me, supporting me through everything I went through. It wasn't as though I felt he was watching over me, I felt that he was _with_ me. And every time things got too hard I would go to him and he would help me get through it.

When Chey was born early and I had to travel to and from the hospital every day it nearly drove me out of my mind. I used to give Riley progress reports on how she was doing. His picture was in the diary because in my mind he was with us and supporting us. Mom was amazing but she could only do so much and I hadn't met Quinn yet. My friends from college all had their own lives and I didn't want to drag them from their fun with my baby drama. I needed the support and he was the person that I wished could have been there to support me. I _wanted _ him to be involved with Chey.

The reason this applies to my dreams is simple. My dreams about Riley only involved on child. Chey. It was about her and my coping with and dealing with the situation that her conception brought about. It was within set parameters. It was limited and repetitive because there was only so much information to work with.

I haven't had that dream for a long time but a few months back it restarted, only there were differences. I still dreamed of having a husband and a home and a family. But this time the man with green eyes wasn't Riley, it was _you. _My dreams about Riley only had Chey. I knew there couldn't be more because even in my dream I knew he wasn't real. It would always be just the three of us and the details were hazy. When the dreams restarted it wasn't about just one child anymore. Chey was already here but we…" she played nervously with the paper around her muffin, "we had a family. There was Chey but there was more too. We were married and I was happy. I dreamed that our next child was a boy, and that the one after that was a boy too… I guess what I'm trying to say is that my dreams of Riley were limited and repetitive but my ones with you were dreams with potential. Dreams of a future."

She avoided his eyes in embarrassment and Sam sat blinking in shock. She had been dreaming of _him_! A future with _him_. Married to _him_. A family with _him_! A baby boy just like he had dreamed on the flight from London when Holly was giving birth. He had no idea what to say.

"I know it sounds a bit creepy and stalkerish Sam, and I'm not saying this to freak you out. Women dream about stuff like this all the time. It's normal. We're encouraged at a young age to dream about happy futures. I'm only telling you this now because I don't want you to think that you're not in my dreams. When you were away in Europe I dreamed about you. I dreamed about what it would have been like if we'd actually kissed the night we left. I couldn't be too cut up over Moe because when I got back from the date I dreamed about you sleeping in the next room to me. I dreamed about you holding our own tiny baby after Christmas with the twins and when we were in the Caymans I dreamed of what we would have been doing instead of sleeping if I hadn't said what I'd said about not having sex yet.

I have no idea what I was dreaming of when I said Riley's name and the chances are I never will, but I am utterly convinced it was purely because I was confused and had my wires crossed. The important thing to remember is that my dreams about Riley didn't have a future."

Sam's heart leaped and he reached forward for her hands again. "So you see a future with me-"

"But I thought hard about it and maybe you are right. I haven't quite let go of Riley the way I should have. But I don't know how to fix that."

Sam was stunned. She wanted him and she accepted that the Riley situation needed fixing. "I don't know what to say."

"That makes two of us." She slowly disentangled their hands and started to eat the now slightly crushed muffin. "The last thing I remember I was crazy about you and now this has come between us."

"It doesn't have to."

"It already has!" She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "You rejected me over it. I can't forget that in a hurry."

Sam slumped back, resigned. This conversation had been an emotional rollercoaster and he felt like he was still freefalling. "So what now?"

"Now we focus on Chey. She's the important one."

"And us?"

"Clearly we have issues. I can't just forget the fact that you rejected me Sam. You rejected _us. _Just when we needed you the most. If us being in a relationship is toxic then we need to go back to doing what we were doing before. We got the co-parenting right and for Chey's sake we need to keep it like that."

"Mercedes I will never be able to forgive myself for what I did and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I really hope we can get past it."

She smiled at him sadly. "All this time and you haven't got that about me yet. I've _already_ forgiven you! Of all people, I'm in no position to judge someone for shutting people out when they're feeling hurt. I just wish that you'd come to me about this or at least hung around to find out what was going on before pulling your vanishing act. But what's done is done and there's no point dwelling on the past. We have to move forward."

"And we will. But I won't give up on us…" he smiled, "Even if the skies get rough…"

Mercedes frowned at him. "Are you quoting song lyrics at me?"

"I'm giving you all-"

"Sam!"

"I'm still looking up…" He sang the final words softly and smiled when he saw her blush. "I still have feelings for you Mercedes and I'm not giving up on us. We've hit a rock and we both got hurt. We both have healing to do but I know we can get through this as more than just two people who have a child together. I'm not longer a 'hit it and quit it' kind of guy and I haven't been for a long time. I know I screwed up but what I said that night on the rug in your house still stands. I promise you two things, first, that I will never do wrong by you and Chey again, however hard I'm hurting, and second, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere and I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes for us to get back onto the same page again."

"Sam-"

"Don't worry. After this I won't mention it again. We both have insecurities that we need to push past, but for now, I just need you to keep remembering that morning and how you were feeling. I want that back. I _need _that back. Chey needs that back. And I will wait as long as it takes."

Sam couldn't be sure if she remembered the cookie cutters but she sure as hell had to have remembered what she was feeling. He watched as Mercedes' hand shook. She attempted to put a piece of her muffin into her mouth but gave up. The best she could do was nod in response, even though she still couldn't meet his eyes.

But Sam knew that his point had got through. He knew by the way that her breathing had deepened.

Their silence was suddenly broken by the sound of her phone alarm. Mercedes quickly silenced it. "Chey's movie finishes in ten minutes. We need to get moving."

* * *

"I think it's best if you wait in the car."

Sam watched silently as Mercedes unbuckled her seatbelt. "Are you sure? I can come in with you."

"No. The moms think we're still together and I don't want you drawing any unnecessary attention by being… _you._"

He opened his mouth to reply then changed his mind. That was another issue they were going to have but today wasn't the day to deal with that. Instead he watched as she got out the car and left him in the parking lot. Five minutes later she returned with a bouncing Chey. Her eyes lit up as she recognized the car.

"Daddy!"

"Hey Annie! He stepped out to give her a squeeze before opening the back door and watching her scramble into the booster seat. "Did you like the movie?"

"Yeah!"

"And what did you like?"

Her reply was a scene by scene recounting of the entire Ice Age 5 3d showing. Mercedes simply grinned and shot him a look that told him he should have known that asking a leading question would set her off. Her chatter was reassuring and made the ride back to the house pass quickly.

Returning to her home and the kitchen was harder than he expected. Even though it was clean his eyes still kept being drawn towards the place on the floor where her head had landed and the blood had been.

"Pizza!" Chey zoomed around excitedly as Mercedes mixed natural yoghurt and flour to make the dough. At first he stood in the doorway watching then realized that's where he'd been stood when she fell and busied himself with something else instead. Sensing his discomfort Mercedes put him on tomato chopping and cheese grating duty while Chey was given the task of washing salad. It should have been simple but she still managed to end up dripping wet. Mercedes put some music on and they boogied to Stevie Wonder as they made lunch. Sam couldn't help but smile. These were the kind of times that he loved and wanted to get back. And there was something about Mercedes' shyness and the way that she looked at him that told him all may not be completely lost on that front.

Before long the pizza was done and they were all happily sat together eating. Once they'd finished Mercedes looked at him and he nodded. "Chey honey, mommy and daddy need to say something."

"Have I been naughty?"

"No baby. You've been a very good girl today and we just want to say that we both love you very much. We're sorry that you didn't see us for a couple of days but that wasn't your fault. Mommy had an accident and daddy couldn't come to see you. You already know that he can't come every day. It wasn't because of anything you'd done."

Chey smiled shyly and tilted her head to the side as she played with her pizza crust.

"Chey are you listening?"

She nodded but Sam wasn't convinced she was. He pulled her to sit on his lap and got Mercedes to pull her chair close. "Chey this is important and that's why we need to speak to you together." He kissed her head and continued with his speech. "Daddy already said sorry for not being able to see you while mommy was in hospital and I've promised to make things much better. I don't ever want you to be sad for something that I did. Okay?"

She nodded, curls bouncing. "Okay."

"So me and mommy are going to make sure that you know just how much we both love you, and even if we're busy and we can't spend as much time with you as we would like it doesn't mean that we love you any less or that you've done something to make us angry with you."

Mercedes smiled and took Chey's hand. "The most important thing for us is that you're happy."

Chey sat quietly, looking thoughtfully at both of them for a moment. She seemed to know that the conversation was serious but at the same time not quite take everything in. She understood enough thought. Reaching over she flung her arms around her mom's neck. "I love you mommy!"

Mercedes squeezed her back. "I love you pumpkin."

Pulling them closer, Chey then put her arm around Sam and squeezed him too. "I love you daddy!"

"I love you too Annie!"

Sam felt choked that the most important part of the whole interchange to his child was the cuddle at the end.

"Will you still hold hands and kiss?"

In an instant the good feeling was gone. Sam shot Mercedes a panicked look and her eyes met his with identical expression. Usually she was good with deflecting Chey's questions but this one was a little bit too hard and Sam decided to use the opportunity to take a liberty. "Maybe sometimes. But right now daddy and mommy are saving all the hand holding and kisses for you. But you have to remember to share okay? You can't keep all the kisses for yourself because that's greedy and Chey's not greedy is she?"

"No! I'm not greedy!"

"That's good. Coz if you were I'd have to tickle you!"

"Eeeeeeeek!" Chey kicked and giggled in his arms and Mercedes shot him a relieved look. He was just thankful that she wasn't mad at the liberty he'd taken. But he knew that she was straight enough to say in no uncertain terms if he had no hope with her ever again.

They could do this. He didn't doubt it. They just needed to get over their hurt and find their path again.

"Daddy I have stickers!"

"Oooh! Can I see them?"

She nodded and like that she was gone.

"Well that went well." He looked over at Mercedes who was suddenly busying herself with clearing the table.

"Yeah it did. Thanks Sam. It helped to share that little task."

"It's no problem. I said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not going anywhere. I've got a lot to make up for, I'm here to help and I'm here to stay. I want to be here for Chey and I want to be here for you, with whatever you're dealing with. Even the Riley stuff. It's a part of you and as you're part of my life it's a part of me too. Please don't shut me out. If there's anything I can do to help just shout and it's done."

Again she avoided his eyes but nodded, saying nothing as she took the plates into the kitchen.

* * *

Sam stayed for another half hour or so before Mercedes said she needed a nap and Chey decided she wanted to take the nap with her.

He spent the drive back reviewing how the day had gone and decided it had gone far better than he ever could have imagined. Yes he would have preferred to end the day back in her arms but a lot of damage had been done and there was still a lot of hurt that needed working through. What had surprised him was her admission that he was right and that she wasn't over Riley. Since finding the cookie cutters he would have happily conceded the point if she'd argued it hard enough. But it was like she was willing to go through whatever was necessary to improve herself, and ultimately find her way back to him.

Yes. He was definitely happy with that. The only thing he wasn't sure of was how she was going to get on with getting over her Riley issues. Would she go back to counselling? Was there anything he could do to help?

Then he had idea.

He made two calls, the first to Dionne to run the idea by her then the second to Matt Rutherford.

It was a long shot, but it was something that worked for him and it may just work for her too…

* * *

_**What could Sam possibly have up his sleeve to try and help Mercedes?**_

_**And I feel like I'm the last person to do this but I finally watched My Mad Fat Diary over the Bank Holiday (which is what delayed this update - sorry guys) but it is brilliant if you can get to see it! (But maybe I'm biased because I'm a Brit...)**_


	33. The Robot

Four weeks. A hell of a lot can happen in four weeks and as far as Mercedes was concerned, a hell of a lot _had_ happened.

Things were finally moving in the right direction. Her headaches had almost completely ceased as had her shoulder pain. She was back to driving and her first priority had been to see Kurt. She felt awful that she had promised to help out, only to bail by going on holiday then bail again through her accident. Luckily he was sympathetic and wanted her wellbeing to come first. But as soon as she went back to the office he was all questions and some of them were tough to answer. He knew that she had gone away with Sam and knew that there was an attraction there, especially when she had called and extended the break. What he didn't know was that they had broken up because that wasn't common knowledge. She couldn't lie and say that they _were_ together, because they weren't. Not like that anyway. But at the same time she couldn't quite bring herself to say it out loud. It was almost as if by doing that it really would make it real.

Thankfully Kurt also had his own drama in his life. He was being actively pursued by two men and had no idea which one he really wanted. On the one hand, Dr Karofsky, now known as Dave was communicating with him regularly under the guise of a project which Mercedes may have mentioned in passing. And on the other, his ex, Wes, who Kurt clearly wasn't over, was now back in the picture and wanting to rekindle their relationship. Mercedes spent less time working and more time listening to the young man as he mused over his situation. It was refreshing to spend time on someone listening to the angst of else's romantic situation for once.

Kurt's contact with Dr Karofsky also brought about another bonus. Even when she had been on holiday, Mercedes hadn't been able to stop thinking about the little girl Mara that she had met backstage. Something about her attitude reminded her of herself at such a young age and she hated that the young girl was not being given a fair chance to do what she loved. Singing was such a simple pleasure and shouldn't be denied. One call was all it took to confirm that Mara still wanted this but the final decision wasn't up to her. Mercedes thought long and hard before calling and speaking to Aleesha, Mara's mother. At first she had been skeptical. Mara had told her about the backstage encounter and she had spent every day since trying not to let her child get her hopes up too high. Not meaning to cause offence but she never dreamed that someone like Mercedes would actually call. It stunned Mercedes because she was just a normal person but she forgot how just being at one event in the public eye can change the perspective of others. Their conversation stretched, ending in Mercedes promising to visit a couple of times. They wouldn't be formal lessons because she wasn't qualified to be an actual teacher, but she would pass on a few of the tips that she knew and help her prepare her song for the competition. It wasn't much for Mercedes but it made a little girl very happy.

Holly and the boys continued to be among her favorite pastimes. They were growing fast and happily cast gummy smiles at everyone that looked at them. Quinn was spending more and more time with Puck and it was clear how close they were getting. Mercedes was thrilled because she had never seen her friend so happy or so well looked after. She was also involved with his time with Beth and they were starting to look like a family. Quinn had worried that Puck's friendship with Sam would strain their relationship but it didn't. They were besties and everyone knows that besties come before testes! Conversations about Sam were slightly taboo but Mercedes preferred to keep it that way. To have your best friend having broken up with your boyfriend's best friend couldn't be easy to manage. She didn't doubt that Quinn and Puck talked about the relationship when they were alone together and she didn't mind as long as they didn't do it in front of her or interfere in any way. The fact that she and Sam were on good terms also helped immensely.

But everything had definitely returned to a strange version of normal. With the exception of a few things. The first had been Valentine's day. Without the wedding if felt strange because suddenly Mercedes had no plans. Except for the time she was with Shane, she had been alone every single Valentine's day and this one was going to be no exception. Artie and Dionne had decided to go on their honeymoon anyway, simply opting to have it before the wedding instead of after. This also helped Mercedes whose gift had been some home improvements that she needed them out of the house to do get organized. Dionne was in love with her kitchen and she used the same designers to do one for her, as well as other upgrades to the house. She wouldn't accept money but Mercedes could damn well afford to spruce up the home she grew up in. The home of a single mother like herself.

When it came to Valentines, everyone she knew was loved up and had plans and _she_ was going to be stuck home alone with her child. Then Sam had asked if he could do something with Chey for Valentines. It seemed stupid, she was only a child and Mercedes wanted to spare her the heartbreak of the most depressing day for a couple of years yet, but Sam insisted it would be nice for her to have something to talk about the next day at school.

_Mercedes had had to fight so hard not to ask what his plans for the day were and he seemed to be intentionally avoiding asking her. Not that she had anything to hide. It was going to be wine, icecream and a Lifeline movie. Pretty much just like every other Valentines that she'd had to endure. Somehow he had managed to convince her to let him take Chey out for a 'grown up' dinner. Chey was beyond excited and couldn't wait to put on her pretty dress and style her hair as well as rocking the pale pink nail polish and lip gloss that Mercedes made the exception to let her wear._

_Sam had arrived promptly at five in a suit and a smart coat. He came bearing flowers and chocolates and seemed surprised to see Mercedes just in jeans and a sweater. Chey hadn't given him a chance to speak before twirling around in her pretty blue dress. It had slightly puffy sleeves and she said it made her feel like a princess. It certainly made her look like one. Sam had kissed her before handing her a small oval box of chocolates and a small posy of miniature white roses making her literally jump with excitement. Then he'd cast his green eyes over to her. "How come you're not dressed?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"For dinner." He handed her an identical box of chocolates and her own posy of miniature roses, only this time they were blue._

_She frowned. "I thought this was a just a thing for Chey?"_

_"It is. But didn't you say we have to show a united front? How can I do this for her and leave you home alone on Valentines?"_

_Mercedes cast her eyes down and pursed her lips. "I don't know…"_

_"It's just dinner Mercedes. The reservation has already been made for three." He watched as she fingered the box of chocolates. "And this is genuine. It's not a ploy to get to you. The box isn't a heart and the roses aren't red. I need you to be part of this. Today. _Please_.__"_

_She thought about it and Chey looked at her with those damn big eyes. "Are you going to come with us mommy? You can come with us but you need to wear a dress!"_

_Sam smiled and pulled the child against him. "Sounds like you've been outvoted!"_

_Mercedes opened here mouth to argue but Chey was looking at her with so much hope in her eyes, and by that measure so was Sam- that the choice was an easy one. Be alone on Valentines or be with two people who wanted her to be with them._

_"Five minutes!" She turned and run up the stairs, waiting until she had closed her bedroom door behind her to take a sniff of her flowers and smile. Sam Evans was a sneaky bastard. He knew damn well that she would never have gone out with him tonight if he had asked her directly. Now that he had laid out his feelings she was being careful not to seem like she was leading him on while her mind still mused over what it was that she actually wanted to do with their relationship. But right now there was no time for overthinking. Tonight was all about Chey and nobody was going to accuse her of being a spoilsport._

_Pulling out a simple black wraparound jersey dress she teamed it with red heels, red lipstick and a red belt. She pulled her hair into a loose off-center pony so that it hung over one shoulder and spritzed herself with her favorite scent. Four minutes. Nobody could ever accuse her of being high maintenance! And yet she knew that if she'd known she was going to be going with them she would have agonized over the outfit for the whole day, wondering if it worked together or if it might be sending out the wrong message. But thankfully there was no time for that and it was quite liberating._

_She flew back down the stairs, desperately trying to quell that feeling in the bottom of her stomach that felt a little too much like excitement. Chey cheered and Sam bit his lip, clearly wanting to make a comment but stopping himself._

_Dinner was amazing. As Sam left the car keys with the valet and they walked into the high end restaurant Mercedes has worried about them being spotted out together but they were shown to a secluded table and realized that a place this high end would be used to clientele who required discretion and wouldn't risk their reputation by breaking it._

_Chey was treated like a princess. The staff clearly knew Sam and were extremely attentive. Neither of them drank alcohol. Instead they all shared a beautiful bottle of sparkling cider and Chey was allowed to drink from a glass, only spilling a little in her distraction. Mercedes still had her heart in her mouth throughout. People usually didn't bring children to these kind of places but she was proud of her daughter's behavior. She was being treated as an adult and she behaved perfectly in response. It was still hard to look around and see that all the other diners were couples and she was sure that Sam noticed it to, but he said nothing and there was no pressure from him which she was thankful for._

_Returning home and putting Chey to bed was fine but stepping out of her room things got awkward. She needed to talk to Sam and they both knew it. "Would you like a hot drink before you leave?" She knew the sentence sounded a bit harsh but she wasn't sure how to convey the fact that she wanted him to stay a little bit, but not all night._

_"A coffee would be great."_

_They stood in silence as she made coffee. Despite it being the location of her accident she still felt more comfortable talking to him standing in there. Maybe it was all the conversations they'd had previously while washing and drying dishes at the sink._

_"So my mom spoke to me yesterday."_

_Sam said nothing. He simply nodded although a worried expression did pass over his face._

_"I have to admit Sam, when she first told me of your idea and what you'd done I was angry at you interfering. I can see why you went to my mom first because I probably wouldn't have reacted well, but I have to tell you that now that I've thought about it and thought about you, it makes sense."_

_Sam said nothing. He just stood and listened while she said her piece before quickly changing the subject._

That conversation had led her to where she was right now, reclined in her first class seat on the way to Kentucky, debating whether or not drinking the complimentary class of champagne really was the greatest idea in the world this early in the morning. Sam had arranged for a car and driver to meet her at the airport and be at her disposal for the entire day.

When Dionne had first mentioned Sam's suggestion she had flown into a rage. She had accepted what he had said about needing help to get over Riley but it wasn't his place to be the one to do it. Dionne had assured her that he knew that which is why he had come to her first with the suggestion to see if it was a good idea or not. Dionne had agreed that it was an excellent idea, but decided he probably wouldn't be the best person to mention it. Somehow, after all the shock and the immediate reactions, it had ended up with Mercedes defending Sam's idea to her mom. She suddenly remembered the first night that Sam stayed at the house, the night after he had come back from his annual trip to his parent's grave. It was the first night the two of them had truly bonded.

She hated that Sam was right, but… well… Sam _was_ right. She had no real closure over Riley because he had never gotten the opportunity to say goodbye. In her mind he was vibrant and alive. To see where he was laid to rest would help to resolve that in her mind. At first she didn't want to. What worked for him wouldn't necessarily work for her, and he was wrong to assume. But the more she thought about it the more she realized that he was right. There were things that she needed to let go of, both emotionally and literally. Things that not another soul knew of. And now Sam had given her the opportunity to do this in more ways than one.

She felt for the small packet in her purse and sighed sadly. This was going to be a hard day but she needed to do this on her own.

A lot of heavy thoughts were going through her head and it was starting to hurt so she stared out of the window and tried to focus on something else as she looked out into the blue sky.

Blue…

The color of the roses that Sam had given her. She hadn't thought a thing of it until she had spoken to Quinn the next day.

_"So Sam bought you flowers?"_

_"They were just a little posy of flowers. Same as what he gave Chey."_

_"Alright! For a second there I thought you were going to say he'd given you a dozen red roses and I was going to start asking a few more discerning questions." Quinn shot her a look that said she was still going to be getting the discerning questions anyway._

_"Nope. He specifically made a point that the flowers weren't red."_

_"Oh so he was paying attention to the colors."_

_"Nope. We just got random ones. Chey got white and I got blue."_

_"Blue?" This time the eyes narrowed._

_"Yep. What's wrong with blue?"_

_"Nothing. It's just that it's not a natural flower color. It's a bit, you know, specific. Especially as you don't really wear much blue. You're more of a red, pink and purple kind of girl."_

_"That's true." Despite herself, Mercedes became curious. "I wonder what blue flowers mean?"_

_"They don't mean anything. You just said so yourself!" Quinn just grinned and whipped out her phone. "But we can solve this in seconds."_

_The suspicion was instant. "What are you doing?"_

_"Looking up the meaning of flower colors- okay I found something. What did you say he got Chey?"_

_"White."_

_"Okay, so it says 'White is the color of purity, chastity and innocence. White flowers are generally associated with new beginnings and make an ideal accompaniment to a first-time bride walking down the aisle. White flowers can be used to convey sympathy or humility. They also are indicative of spirituality…' Okay I think I read too far but basically white flowers are good safe to give to a child with the whole innocence thing."_

_"And blue is for friendship right?"_

_Quinn shook her head. "Nope. That's yellow."_

_"Damn!"_

_Quinn did a little more scrolling. "Ooh Cedes! Listen to this! It says here 'Blue Roses: A perfectly blue rose is still elusive like the perfectly black rose. Blue roses cannot be achieved naturally so they represent the unattainable or the mysterious. Blue roses therefore embody…" She suddenly paused. "Okay I don't think this is helpful. Maybe we should just-"_

_Mercedes could read her friend like a book and knew that there had to be a damn good reason why she didn't want to read until the end. "What does it say Q?"_

_"It doesn't mat-" She didn't get the chance to finish the word because Mercedes had snatched the phone from her hand before she even had the chance to try and hide it. "Cedes don't-"_

_Too late._

_Mercedes scanned the screen for the correct section before continuing to read out loud. 'Blue roses therefore embody the desire for the unattainable. They say 'I can't have you but I can't stop thinking about you.'" She paused, barely breathing. "Oh…"_

_"Why did you read it?"_

_"I wanted to know why you stopped."_

_"Maybe he didn't know what blue meant!"_

_Mercedes side eyed her friend. "This is Sam we're talking about. The international businessman with an eye for detail. He knew damn well what he was doing and that I would be curious enough to try and find out the meaning behind it._

_Quinn opened her mouth to reply but settled for silence. Mercedes was probably spot on. She would kill Puck when she next saw him for not giving her the heads up on that particular stunt. She decided to go for another strategy. "Look, it's not as if you don't already know what his feelings are. It's not like he hasn't put it out there already. And I know that he would never dream of putting pressure on you after what happened."_

_Mercedes tapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Look, can we not do this right now?"_

_Quinn pulled her into a hug. "That's fine with me. You've got a decision to make and it's not one you can rush. Whatever happens and whatever you choose, I'll stand by you. Right now you've chosen yourself. That's the best out of all the options right now and I'm proud of your for making it." She squeezed her friend tight. "But you didn't call me here to talk about Sam and flowers did you."_

_Mercedes shook her head, her mood instantly darkening as she told her friend of what she had decided she was going to do._

The landing was a smooth one and as the plane taxied to a gate she started to rethink her decision to come alone. At one point she was going to ask Quinn before deciding it was something she wanted to do herself. Sam had also offered but didn't push it, understanding that he was probably the last person she wanted but offering regardless. He had organized the plane ticket and the driver. She couldn't really ask more of him than that. The only person she might have taken was her mom, more for the fact that she was more 'no nonsense' than sympathy and would have been perfect for not allowing her to slip too deeply into misery, but she was now on her now pre-wedding honeymoon in the Bahamas.

No. This was something she had to do for herself. The whole Riley journey was one she went through alone and it was only fitting that she finish this alone. And she wasn't going to waste any time. It was best that she got this over and done with. Within what felt like minutes she was walking towards the man with the graying hair, short beard, black suit and glasses who was holding up a sign with her name.

"Are you Brad?"

He nodded and she followed him to the car where he opened the door for her to get in before sliding into the driving seat. "Where to?"

_No sense in dragging this out. She had come for a specific purpose. _"The cemetery."

Brad nodded and they immediately set off. Mercedes was glad that he made no attempt at conversation with her. She really wasn't in the mood for speaking. He dropped her off at the entrance and indicated to the parking bays where he would wait for her.

Wrapping her dark coat tightly round her she followed the directions she had been given. It took about five minutes to find the small plot with the simple headstone. She had somehow forgotten how poor his family had been and even something like suddenly having to bury their son must have been a burden.

Crouching close she traced her fingers along the engraved words. 'Riley Andrew Adams, beloved son. Stolen before his time to shine.' Her eyes stung as she read the words. He had so much life to live and so much love to give and now it was all nothing.

The gray overcast day only complemented her mood as she stood in silent contemplation looking at the headstone. It was already thirteen years old. There were other stones close by which looked newer and had flowers. Riley's site was clean and well maintained but the stone vase for flowers was empty. She hadn't brought flowers. She hadn't even thought about it. Her mind had been so focused on getting here that everything else had escaped her. And now here she was, just standing here, silently. She had expected that maybe she would have something to say but there were no words. Being faced with the cold hard reality of where Riley was right now burned an image right from her eyes, all the way into her heart.

Aside from Sam, only Quinn and her mom knew about this trip. Her conversation with Sam about it was brief because she didn't really want to discuss things with him but wanted to acknowledge his offer before moving on to other things, but with Quinn and her mom she'd had the chance to delve deeper and see what they thought. Neither had wanted to give an opinion, leaving it up to her, but they both managed to convey a message without saying the actual words. She needed to see where Riley was buried. She needed to say goodbye. She needed that closure. It had all happened so quickly and so far away from her that on a small level it still wasn't real. If she didn't see it then she could hold on to her fantasies in her head.

But now she couldn't hold on to them any longer. This literally was the final nail in the coffin for her feelings. She would always love him, but seeing the slight signs of aging on the headstone really brought it home to her that not only was he gone, he was long gone.

Finally she found her voice.

"Riley. I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I'm sorry I never came to see you before. Believe it or not the idea did cross my mind a few times but I always managed to talk myself out of it. I was really hurt that you left me Riley. I spent a lot of our relationship thinking it was too good to be true and it was all a dream and then you leave and as far as the world was concerned _we_ never existed. I couldn't talk to anybody because nobody knew. I was sad and upset and alone. I shut myself away. I didn't want to enjoy life if it was a life without you. For the longest time I didn't believe it. There's probably a part of me didn't until I came and stood right here right now seeing it all for real.

One thing I never admitted was how angry I was. I was so angry at you for leaving me behind. Then I felt guilty for being angry. I was such a mess and it took me a while to pick myself back up only to be screwed over by my next boyfriend. That brought you back fresh into my mind all over again. But what did it was when I got pregnant. I wanted so badly for that baby to be yours. Do you remember all the times we would imagine we were married and we'd pretend the twins were ours, not your siblings? I wanted that with you so much it hurt. But what I was left with was a child growing in my belly and a father that I was told had rejected us. I wanted you. I _needed_ you. So I made sure that you were there. You got me through it Riley. You got me through my dark times. I had a beautiful little girl. She's six now and is named after you in thanks for that.

But I have to be real. You were my boyfriend when I was sixteen. I'll be thirty this year. I can't live in the past. You always used to say that I hold myself back and now I finally see what you mean. There's someone who loves me, who I'm crazy about too. He's screwed up and he's hurt me but it wasn't intentionally. It wasn't done out of malice or spite but out of pain. I'd be lying if I said I never acted wrongly out of pain either. I'm still hurting now, but despite that I still see my future with him. Is that weird? I wish I could say that you'd like him but you probably wouldn't. Not at first anyway. He can be pretty headstrong and stubborn and intense. But underneath all that is a beautiful goofy soul. That part he shares with you and that part drew me in.

I came here to tell you that I'd finally moved on. That I've met someone and I'm happy. It's true. Okay so maybe I've moved on but I'm not quite at happy yet. Happy comes from a place that I haven't quite reached yet. I'm nearly there but I got set back a bit. You always told me off for standing on things to reach up. You always said I would fall. Even now, years after you've gone you're still right! But my accident gave me the opportunity to look at things honestly and see what I really want in life. I still need time and I'm still healing but I'm also in a good place and I will always have you to thank for getting me there."

She opened her wallet and took out his picture. "It's time I let you go now Riley. You've looked after me for a long time but now I have someone else to look after me." She stood for a moment, staring at the picture with a sad smile before kneeling down in front of the stone vase.

"Goodbye Riley. Thank you for loving me. I'll always love you but I have to move on. You get to be the boy who never grew up. I don't have that luxury. But for your sake, I promise always to try to be happy. Just like you always wanted me to be."

Closing her eyes she brought the picture to her lips and kissed it tenderly. "It's time for me to let go and find my own feet."

Opening her eyes she looked around for a place to put the small picture. In the end she couldn't find one so she slipped it inside the stone vase. Then she stood silently for a few more moments, praying and paying her respects. She knew that she was probably never going to come back here again and she needed to make the most of it.

Brad caught sight of her as she walked to the car. He immediately folded the newspaper he was reading and got out to let her in. Then he waited silently for her instruction. He had a long wait as she silently played with a small piece of paper between her fingers. Finally she sighed and reached forward to hand it to Brad. "Can we go here please?"

His response was to start the engine.

Mercedes stared out of the window, expecting to be thinking about Riley but actually finding herself thinking of Chey and Sam. Well, thinking mostly of Sam. Her words at Riley's grave surprised her. She didn't think she'd talk about the way she felt about Sam quite so much. And her admission that what Sam had done was not out of maliciousness was also a new revelation to her. Twice she had had to deal with rejection from him, first when she was pregnant, then again after her accident. The first time wasn't a true rejection because he genuinely didn't know about the pregnancy and the second time was him being unintentionally caught up in his own issues. It was definitely thoughtless rather than malicious. Sam made no attempt to hide the fact that he still wanted to be with her even though he didn't put any pressure on her at all. The blue flowers were his boldest direct statement to her and even that took investigation work to discover its true meaning. It could well have gone right over her head.

Right now Sam was being a true gentleman and a friend. He was being a father to Chey and everything that she needed him to be. It was one of the reasons why, after her initial refusal and offence at his suggestion, she finally said yes and accepted his help to make this trip. She could have done the planning on her own and some ways she wanted to, but she'd seen in his eyes how it made him happy to feel useful so she went along with it. He wanted her, it was clear as day to see, but this time he knew the boundaries. The smoking hot ovary exploding stares were gone. This time he was playing safe. Playing the friend. Making himself indispensable. Making sure he was constantly in the forefront of her mind and engrained in her soul. And it was working. Just because she was hurt, it didn't mean that she wasn't still attracted to him. That she didn't melt when he said her name in _that _voice or when he made her feel that she was the most important woman to him in the universe.

And she pretended that she didn't notice him staring out of the corner of her eye when he thought she wasn't looking. She pretended not to notice the way he bit his lip when she bent over or flicked her hair. She was making a conscious effort not to flirt but he was still finding things that clearly made him struggle. Unfortunately, Sam wasn't the one she should be thinking of right now. The car slowly pulled up at a small house. "Please stop around the corner Brad." He nodded and they pulled in a short distance away.

It wasn't too late to do this. She could ask Brad to simply take her to the airport. She'd done the main thing she'd come to do. She'd seen Riley's final resting place. Her fingers made their way down to the small packet in her purse. No. she had one final thing that she needed to do. One thing that nobody knew about. When Sam had said he had located where Riley was buried she'd also enquired about his family and was given an address. They had probably assumed that she just wanted to pay her respects. But there was more to it than that.

With a deep cleansing breath she finally pulled herself from the car and Brad raced round to hold the door open as she climbed out. She looked at the piece of paper one last time even though she didn't need to. She'd seen the actual door now. With legs and feet of lead she made her way to the front door and immediately knocked the door before she lost all her confidence. As soon as she heard a noise behind the door she put on her brightest smile, only for it to fade with confusion as it was opened by a tall slim black man, with a goatee beard and graying hair at his temples.

"Ohhh…" Her mouth had produced a sound without her even realizing it. She had been told that this was a 'last known' address so obviously there was every chance that they were no longer here and sadly that seemed to be the case.

"Can I help you?" His expression was one of mild curiosity and it knocked her out of her daze.

"Er- no- sorry. I think I was looking for the previous occupants."

"Well this house hasn't officially changed hands for years-"  
"Who is it honey?"

A voice in the background interrupted him and it sounded slightly familiar. The man turned towards it. "There's a girl here. Says she's looking for the previous occupants."

Mercedes gasped as Martha, Riley's mother came into view. "Can I help you?"

Mercedes was too shocked to reply. Seeing the face after all those years, the resemblance to Riley was still striking. "I- I um…"

This time it was Martha's turn to frown and she tucked her loose now bottle blond hair behind one ear. "Hey. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Mercedes still felt uncomfortable and really wanted to run. But she was past the point of no return. "From a few years back."

"Hold on- wait… Mercedes! Am I right?"

A wash of relief spread over her. "Yeah. That's right."

Martha turned to the man who was just looking at them both with a confused smile. "Mercedes used to look after the twins back when things were bad before we moved back here. She went to school with my eldest and was our angel of Mercy when we were going through a really tough time." She turned back to Mercedes. "I'm so sorry I'm being rude! I don't know where my Southern hospitality's gone! Come inside. It's so good to see you again!"

Mercedes looked reluctant until Martha reached out and took her arm. "You obviously came here for a reason honey. Come and sit and tell us what you've been doing for all these years."

Without a choice she allowed herself to be led inside. "Thank you Mrs Adams."

The woman's breath caught slightly. "I'm being rude again! I'm so sorry I don't know what's wrong with me today! I'm not Adams anymore. It's Jackson. As of three weeks ago. This here is my husband Nathan."

He took Mercedes hand and gave her a warm smile. "A pleasure."

"I've just made some sweet tea, or you can have hot tea if you prefer? Or coffee?"

"Well… I only came to bring you something. I don't want to intrude…"

"Nonsense. You were in my home all the time when it was a motel. Now I have a house and things to offer you it would be wrong for you not to accept."

_Well if she was going to put it that way… _"Okay. I haven't had hot tea in a long time so I'll take some of that thanks."

Martha nodded to Nathan and he headed towards the kitchen. "Please sit. It's so good to see you. You look really well. Tell me about your life!"

Nathan joined them with tea and home-made maple syrup cookies as the women reminisced. Mercedes showed her pictures of Chey and spoke about her antics. Martha showed her pictures of the twins. They were away at college now and having the time of their lives. Mercedes was stunned to see how the little ones had grown. It made her fall quiet for a little bit. After Riley's death, things became strained between Martha and her husband Dean. He struggled to cope with guilt, having been the one to send Riley out for milk that fateful morning. It weakened them and their relationship to the point when they were considering a separation, but he had a sudden stroke before they parted ways. With his body as broken as his heart he only lasted a year and Martha dedicated herself to looking after him. He was only forty three. Being alone with the twins was hard but she'd come through so much that she wasn't going to go down without fighting. It had been a few years before she met Nathan at her church. He was a widower and they started as friends with common ground. He took an interest in the twins because they had no father figure. That brewed a friendship which grew into more. He just smiled at that part of the story and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. Mercedes couldn't help but be slightly jealous of their contentment.

Even though his name had been mentioned a couple of times they hadn't really spoken about Riley until it came up directly in conversation.

"So your home is in New York. What brings you to Kentucky?"

"I had a couple of things that I needed to do. Things that were years overdue." She paused and Nathan took the opportunity to stand. "I think I'm gonna go start seasoning the chicken. Would you ladies like more hot tea?"

They both shook their head and he turned to make his exit. Martha leaned to her, "the man can cook! Of course I had to marry him!"

"I can still hear you!" His voice rang out from the hallway until it was drowned by their laughter.

Martha said nothing when the laughter stopped and Mercedes began to wring her hands. She waited until she could wait no more. "Did you come to see Riley?"

Mercedes nodded. "I needed to. It was stopping me from moving on."

"The two of you were more than friends weren't you."

She nodded again.

"I thought so. When we moved he seemed disproportionately heartbroken and he was on his phone a lot but he didn't say a thing."

"We were keeping it a secret. But we were going to tell you guys and my mom soon. Everything just happened so fast at the end. We thought we had forever."

"Forever?"

Mercedes nodded and reached for the small packet. "I need to return this. Riley gave it to me on loan when you all left." Martha took her hand and looked inside the folded paper. Inside was a small robot, shorter than the length of her forefinger. She gasped with surprise before breaking out into a smile and picked it up the item, playing with it properly. "I always wondered what happened to this. I'd expected to find it with Riley's things but ended up assuming it got lost in the move."

"He said you gave this to him."

"Yep. This was from my first date with Dean. We went to the fair and he won it by throwing a hoop or something stupid like that. Anyway, he got all crazy and romantic and it insisted on giving it to me. I told him that it was his and he simply said that he was giving it to me to look after and I that the day we get married it would become his again anyway. I just laughed at him. Who talks about marriage on their first date when you're only twenty and still in college? But Dean did, and somehow it came true."

"So why did you give this to Sam?"

"We were talking once, late one night in the motel when the kids were asleep and Dean was working a random night shift. He gave me twenty dollars and said he'd sold his ipod to one of the kids at school. It was heartbreaking. He was always listening to the thing. But the twins had a flare up of their bad skin and he wanted to use the money to get some ointment because the itching was keeping them up at night. That's what he was like. Although I guess you know that already. I was feeling low and sad that we'd had to sell every little thing we had of value, just to keep a roof over our heads, and that meant that there was nothing precious left for me to pass down to my children. Riley had a wise head on his shoulders. He reminded me that true value comes from meaning not from cost. And he was right. I had to rummage through my suitcase but I eventually found this. It was a token of love. It's only worth a dollar or so but to me it marked the beginning of a relationship and a future promise. I gave it to him because I knew he always had a romantic heart and believed in love. I hadn't really looked at it or touched it in years but even though it had no real monetary value it had a huge amount of symbolism."

Mercedes touched the head of the toy. "He treasured it."

Martha looked at her. "And he gave it to you so he must have treasured you too."

Mercedes nodded, unable to speak for a while as her eyes welled. "He believed in the power of it. He said that I was to take care of the robot for him. Even though we were miles apart I still had something of his. And then one day, when we'd graduated and got married it would go back to being his again."

Martha pulled her into an embrace. "I'm sorry I didn't know about you. I'm sorry you had to go through it on your own." They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes, eyes glassy with tears but not actually sobbing. It was finally broken by the older woman. "So why don't you want to keep this?"

"Because it's your family heirloom. It needs to go to the twins now and stay in the family. It wouldn't be right for me to hold on to it. It's the same as me holding on to the past. I've done that for far too long now and I need to completely let go. You've managed to move on and I need to do the same."

"I thought you had. You have a child. You're not with the father?"

Mercedes sighed. "It's complicated. _Really_ complicated. For a long time I was a single mother but now we're trying to work things out. Part of that for me is dealing with my ghosts. I held on to Riley far longer than I should have. I even gave my daughter his name as her middle name. I never got the closure that I needed and I clung on to his memory a little too hard. That's why I had to come here and see where he's resting. That's why I had to give back the robot. It's never going to be his again but it's still your family heirloom. It belongs back with you."

Martha pulled her into another embrace. "It's okay to hold on to Riley, Mercedes. Never forget him, he was a special person. But he would never want to hold you back. It wasn't in his nature. I love him and there isn't a day that passes that I don't think of him. The same applies for Dean. But life is for the living. I have Nathan and I have the twins. I'm not saying there's times when I don't get low. That there haven't been times that I cried in Nathan's arms because it would have been Riley's birthday or Dean's favorite song came on the radio and I'd lose it for a few moments, but those things happen less and less. You're allowed to be happy with someone else. You're not insulting Riley's memory by doing so. You're not insulting _me_ by doing so. You have your child to think of and your future ahead of you Mercedes, so live them. Live them for Riley and his memory. You know what kind of a guy he was. You know that's what he would have wanted."

Mercedes was speechless. She didn't know she needed to hear those words until she heard them. "Thank you." Her embrace was tight and the older woman didn't let her go. "I'm sorry to bring all this up."

Martha pulled back and smiled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "No! Don't be. I'm glad you came." After a few more moments they were calm enough to resume their general conversation until eventually Mercedes looked at her watch. "I have to get going."

"Already?" Martha looked disappointed. "Aren't you staying for some supper?"

"No. I'm sorry. All this time my driver's been waiting in the car for me and I need to fly back to my daughter. I only came for the day."

"Ooooh. A driver?"

Mercedes smiled shyly. "A certain somebody didn't want me driving in a town I don't know when I'm feeling emotional so he made sure I was met at the airport."

"Sounds like someone really cares about you!"

The smile widened. "Yeah. He is pretty good to me."

Martha looked as if she was going to say something but decided against it and stood up instead. "Well if you have to leave, you're not going without taking some cookies for the poor driver and your gorgeous little girl."

There was no way she could refuse as Martha stood and called out. "Nathan, go get the camera!" Turning back to Mercedes she smiled. "The twins will be so excited that you were here. I'll have to send them a picture of us when we Skype them this week!"

Mercedes felt positively sad as they had their final embrace outside the front door. "You don't be a stranger now. You hear me?"

"I hear you."

The ride back to the airport was silent apart from the sound of Brad crunching cookies. She liked the fact that he didn't want to speak. It allowed her to dwell on her own thoughts without appearing rude. Flying first class also afforded her the freedom of her thoughts uninterrupted in a comfortable seat. She had a lot of thinking to do. Martha's words had struck a chord with her. She didn't need permission to move on from Riley but hearing it aloud from her was a reassurance she didn't know she needed to hear.

For the millionth time today, despite the emotion and the focus on Riley, she still couldn't help thinking about Sam and how he was unafraid of how he felt about her.

_"Hey did you see this?" Quinn was talking with her mouth full._

_"See what?"_

_"Sam's in a magazine."_

_"Where?" For a split second Mercedes forgot to act cool and replied quickly and breathlessly before purposefully avoiding her friend's gaze._

_Quinn simply smiled before handing her the journal. "Sam's made People Magazine's top 100 eligible bachelors."_

_Mercedes looked at the article. Because of the size of the list it was only a small picture and a few words. But he was definitely there. Number eighty-seven to be precise. She didn't know whether to be relieved he wasn't top ten or put out that he didn't rate higher._

_The picture was a slightly old one but it was definitely a good one. His bio described him as a successful businessman and former playboy who was now much more shy of the limelight. There was no reference to him being a father, but in all fairness that probably came out after this article was put together. Maybe this would get him a world of female attention and he'd decide to go with someone a little less complicated?_

_"He only has eyes for you, you know. Stop frowning."_

_She didn't even realize she_ was_ frowning. It's just she couldn't help the fact that the words 'out of your league' were currently ringing in her ears. "This is Sam's life. I'm not expecting it to change in any way."_

_"Good. Because it isn't. But you've known that for a while now." Quinn looked at her seriously._

_"So have you decided which movie we're going to watch? If we leave now we'll still be able to find parking."_

_Quinn rolled her eyes. Her friend had been doing a lot of subject changing recently but she wasn't going to force her to open up if she didn't want to. "I'm in the mood for a chick flick. Let's just get there and see what has the shortest line."_

Sam's birthday had followed days later and he spent it in the company of Puck and Tony Rashad. The evening was spent at a New York Yankees game where an eager young reported from E! had nearly orgasmed at the sight of two of 'the list' on a night out. Tony _was_ top ten and had no problem putting himself out there. Sam on the other hand, was having none of it. A quick internet search for the video clip showed him frowning at the camera. When asked about being eligible he simply stated that the list was out of date and his heart was already taken.

His words made Mercedes smile. For days.

As soon as the flight landed she called Carl to come and take her home and sent a text to Sam to thank him.

**You're always welcome. How did it go?**

Good question.

**Well. I just need a bit of time to process.**

There was a pause.

**Take all the time you need.**

There he went, being perfect again. All this wouldn't be so hard if she wasn't so in love with him. But she needed to change the subject.

**Are you still okay to take Chey tomorrow?**

Puck had Beth for the weekend and the men had decided to take the kids for a day out. It worked out well, allowing Sam serious time with Chey while she got to spend the day with Quinn. With her mom away and the emotional turmoil of the day she needed to be able to talk it out without distraction.

**Sure. I'll pick her up at 9**

Yeah. She loved him. She just didn't know how she was going to deal with that piece of information.

Actually she did. She'd let go of the Riley she'd been holding on to. The photo and the robot were back in Kentucky where they belonged. Now was her time, her future, her time of healing and everything else that comes with it. She still wasn't over the feeling of abandonment that Sam had left her with and she knew it wasn't something that was going to disappear in five minutes, but she could think of him now without pain, and look at him without hurting.

It was a start, a rocky start but a start nonetheless towards her future. Sam still believed he was her future. Sam was actively telling the world that he was taken despite them not actually being together. But maybe, just maybe, despite the fact that she was still raw and needed a little more time, the dreams were still there on her side too.

And maybe, just maybe, these were the solid bricks of a much firmer foundation second time around.

Only time would tell.

* * *

_**Next up... three cookie cutters and a wedding...**_


	34. In Sickness And In Health

_**Special thanks to Flanmaja for the wedding colour scheme.**_

* * *

Mercedes was glad to have the day after her trip to Kentucky to recharge her batteries. She indulged Quinn and herself with a spa day. They had whole body massages, Indian head massages, facials, manicures, pedicures, nail treatments and a healthy lunch. A lot of time was spent relaxing but a good deal of time was also spent in the sauna trying to put her thoughts together. It had been hard deciding who to confide in. Quinn was dating Sam's best friend. Holly was Sam's sister and her mom, well, she was her mom!

In the end she found herself confiding far more things to Quinn than she had planned to. She already knew all about Riley and had explained that she and Puck had already made an agreement not to interfere in the relationship of their friends. They were all too close for things to go wrong just like they had nearly done before Puck was forced to make his admission about meeting Quinn. Honesty was important for trust and the fact that Quinn was honest and upfront about her allegiance made it easier to share the facts of the matter.

Chey said that she had a fantastic time on her day out with daddy, Beth and uncle Puck. Sam had collected her early and they'd had pancakes for breakfast at Al's café. In the morning they went to the farm. Chey was on her best behavior and did her best to help Beth to behave too. Attached to the farm was a newly opened soft play area which hadn't been there the last time they had visited. An hour in there after all the excitement of the animals meant that all four of them were happy to sink into an afternoon nap back at Puck's house where Beth was spending the weekend. Chey and Beth were curled up on Puck's bed while the men's heads rapidly rolled backwards on the couch while attempting to watch a re-run of vintage The A-Team.

By the time Sam had dropped her in the evening, Chey was more than ready for bath and bed. That night, Puck said that Beth developed a fever and a cough. Two days later, Chey had it. By the time Beth was recovering, Sam called in sick to work with a hacking cough of his own. They were supposed to be taking Chey out for a ceramic pottery painting activity but Sam had called to say he couldn't make it. Mercedes knew that it would take a hell of a lot for him to miss out on time with Chey. The way that he had succumbed to an extended fit of coughing on the phone proved that he was indeed sick, miserably so.

The misery extended to Chey when she heard that daddy was sick and she immediately came up with a solution of her own, to visit daddy and bring him some of the soup that she'd been eating during the week. After a brief consideration, Mercedes agreed, the project giving something for Chey to concentrate on for a while becoming the excuse to go over and see him.

Sam looked as dreadful as he claimed he felt, but here was a noticeable cheering of his countenance as he let them in to his apartment. His hair seemed slightly damp and matted against his forehead, his face was pale and he was dressed in the kind of ugly baggy sweats that she used to live in. Seeing him in that state made her heart hurt when she knew that he was usually always well groomed.

He smiled at them weakly. 'Hey!"

"Hey yourself." For some reason she suddenly felt shy about being in his apartment.

"Daddy I made you some soup to make you feel better! It made my cough go all better!" Chey held up the large plastic tub to her dad and even though she knew it was well sealed, Mercedes still cringed at the sight of the liquid that was now sloshing around dangerously inside it. Chey always forgot minor details like being careful when she was excited.

He grinned at her. "Thanks munchki-" A fit of coughing overtook him before he could finish his sentence and Mercedes looked at him sympathetically. It had sounded painful.

"I think you need to sit down."

He looked back at her miserably. "I think you're right."

Sam wasn't the greatest patient, but in his defense he genuinely wasn't well. This actually was a little more than simple 'man flu'.

The soup was a big hit though. Chey had worked hard at home, peeling vegetables and stirring the pot, and Sam made her beam as he gushingly thanked her for all her hard work even though he was only able to manage a small amount and even that was so that he could take his antibiotic. Mercedes had fired up his much neglected oven to finish off some part baked crusty rolls to go with it and he was disappointed not to do justice to the deliciousness of the food. After eating they settled down in the games room where Sam dozed on and off as Chey played a couple of games before settling in front of the movie 'Cars' which Sam had stashed away in one of his movie collections. Sam did his best to keep his hacking cough to himself but it was hard and exhausting and eventually opted to lie down in his bed properly. Mercedes allowed him to sleep for a little bit before checking in on him.

He looked peaceful in his bed and she was reluctant to disturb him. In his hand was something plastic which struck her as odd, but the sound of her approach woke him and he was startled, immediately flushing red and slipping whatever was in his hand rapidly under his pillow. The move seemed strange. Initially she wondered why he would be hiding something from her, before realizing that she has walked into the man's bedroom uninvited. She was lucky he was even properly dressed. _Or should that be unlucky..._

"I think we should let you rest now. Chey's movie's finished and you're clearly tired."

His response was a cough and a loud "No!" Realizing how his exclamation had sounded he lowered his voice slightly. "I mean- I was hoping we could order some takeout or something. You don't have to leave now just because of me!"

"It's fine Sam." She held up the mug that she had been holding, "I just brought you a hot drink because you're due for another dose of medicine. Then you can rest without distraction." She brought it over and set it down carefully on top of his bed side cabinet.

He forced a weak smile as he watched her move. "Maybe I like the distraction."

Mercedes didn't know what to say to that so she said nothing. Taking that as a positive response, Sam pushed the covers aside and pulled himself up. "Why don't you as Chey what she wants to eat." She looked insure until he add another '_please'._

Finally resigning herself to the fact that they were staying, she smiled and started to leave. "Are you sure you-" As she turned back to face him he quickly slammed his bedside drawer shut, the flushed look returning.

"It's fine, I promise. We were supposed to take Chey out today, at least let's be in together."

"Alright then." She tuned and left, her brain burning with curiosity as to what it was that he was hiding from her. She could tell that the pillow had moved. Whatever was in his hand then under the pillow was now in the drawer.

But then it wasn't really any of her business.

Chey was in full caring mode and insisted on her dad lying on the couch on a bed of cushions like she did when she was sick, while she tucked a blanket around him so tightly that he felt like a mummy.

"Chey! How daddy supposed to have his drink when you've wrapped him up so tight?"

The little girl's expression became thoughtful before breaking into giggles.

Mercedes rolled her eyes at the two of them. "What happened to your drink anyway?"

Sam shrugged. He'd seen her with it but couldn't recall holding it himself. Maybe she never actually gave it to him.

"Oh. I put it down in your room for you but you didn't pick it up." Frowning at his tightly cocooned body, she gave an exaggerated sigh. "I'll go grab it for you. Chey clearly has you a little 'tied up'"

He smiled in gratitude as she disappeared. Chey kept him distracted but not distracted enough notice she was gone far longer than she should have been. She eventually returned with the drink but wouldn't look him in the eye. They ordered their food and she fussed around in the kitchen until it arrived. Once it did, Sam pushed his food around his plate. Unusually for him he wasn't hungry at all, yet another symptom of his illness. It was only because he wanted the girls to stay longer that he suggested they eat. Chey was bubbly until the moment she had to leave but Mercedes remained subdued. She was polite and still speaking to him, but her whole manner was far more guarded and her eyes had a shiny appearance as if she had been crying. He had no idea what he could possibly have said or done to upset her and she was clearly doing her best to not let on to anybody that she was upset in any way. Maybe she was still thinking over her Kentucky trip that she clearly wasn't ready to talk to him about yet.

It was only after they had left and he returned to his room that he worked out the cause of her change in her mood. His bedside drawer was very slightly open. The only way to close it properly was to slam it hard, just pushing it would never get it to completely shut. It was simply pure sentimental value was preventing the long overdue replacing of that particular fixture.

Opening the drawer his suspicions were confirmed. There were five items that were kept in that drawer; the photobook of Chey, a framed photograph of him, Mercedes and Chey laughing and huddled together on the beach on Little Cayman, and the three cookie cutters that he hadn't had the heart to return after he'd found them on Mercedes' kitchen floor. He always placed everything in that drawer a certain way. The photograph and the cutters were always on top of the book, but they were never allowed to cover the embossed writing on the book cover.

This time, one of the letters were covered. It had been moved. In fact it looked as though everything had been moved and replaced. He should have been mad at Mercedes for going through his personal space but strangely he wasn't. He knew that she had caught him with the cutters in his hand, something he often held on to and played with absently as he lay. She was always his last thought before falling asleep. He knew that she had spied him slipping said items under his pillow then caught him _again _stashing them in the drawer. He was sure his guilty reaction is what drew her attention. But he had been afraid that he would come across as a weird obsessive stalker. He wasn't. It's just that those cookie cutters were what gave him hope. She loved him before her accident and knowing that was the case, if they were able to get things back to how they were before she fell, he might just get her to feel again what she felt for him before. Because he knew for a fact that she had felt it that morning. They had made love and come dangerously close to saying it.

He decided that he wasn't going to bring up the cookie cutters . He was just going to wait and see if Mercedes was going to bring it up. The time in between would be useful for trying to come up with a suitable answer.

* * *

Three weeks.

Time flies when you know that something has to be said but you're never right there to be able to do it for yourself. Mercedes was queen of hiding in plain sight. Of being there, actually talking to and acknowledging you, but while still being out of reach at the same time.

Maybe this would be the event to change that.

She was a vision in a deep red off the shoulder dress that flowed in an A line down to her knees and was finished with a pair of sky high killer 'fuck me til I'm raw' heels. Sam could only stand slack jawed as Mercedes came through the double doors. From the coif of her hair to the sparkle in the heel of her shoes, and everything in between was perfection. Especially everything in between.

Sam had been excited to see Chey come through the doors as flower girl, all smiles and excitement in her cute gold dress with the red sash, tightly clutching her bouquet. Her lips moved slightly as she silently counted the well-rehearsed steps she was taking in order to keep perfect time with the music while keeping a firm guiding grip on the hand of three year old Mia, Arties grandniece who was clutching an identical posy in her chubby hand. The pride he felt swelling up in his chest at the sight of his daughter being so brave and caring was phenomenal.

Then she had been followed by the bridesmaids Mercedes and Quinn. The blond was like a second daughter to Dionne and was also looking gorgeous, as attested to by the drooling expression of his best friend, but he only had eyes for one person. She met his eyes and smiled shyly as she made her way up the aisle and only one thought went through his mind: unless it was as bridesmaid at Puck and Quinn's wedding, the next time she was going to be walking down the aisle would be towards him. The day that their family would be sealed as complete forever. He knew that it was wrong to get ahead of himself but the facts were undeniable. He loved her and she loved him. She knew because he had shown her by his recent actions and told her even without saying the actual words. He knew because he had the cookie cutters and he _knew _that she had seen them in his room. She hadn't brought it up or taken issue with it. She'd simply stayed silent but there was a definite softening of her nature. She was coming to him. He just had to be patient. After the shit he had pulled he was more than undeserving and knew that he had no right to pressure her into anything.

But there was something about watching her walk down the aisle that stirred him to want this for himself. Artie was a lucky man, he was marrying the love of his life. Sam couldn't help but want the same.

His eyes didn't leave her glorious ass as she passed him and made her way to the front, stepping to the side with Quinn at the last moment. Sure her best friend was hot but Mercedes was everything. He barely even registered Artie's nieces, the other two bridesmaids that brought up their rear.

The sight of Artie's jaw dropping together with the music reaching a crescendo signaled the arrival of the woman of the moment. His hand shook slightly on his cane as his bride made her way towards him. Dionne walked down the aisle alone with her head held high. She had had been without a man for years and was fine with that. No man was going to be coming in at the last minute to give her away. She was giving herself, carving her own path to the man she loved and Sam respected that she wanted to do things that way. The fact that she came up the aisle alone made her appearance even more striking. She was a vision in a deep ivory mermaid dress which cascaded over her slender form like second skin before kicking out at the bottom and pooling into a small fishtail train. Her shape reminded him a lot of a taller version of Mercedes the first night they had met on the rooftop. However slim those women got, they would always have curves that went on for days. He personally preferred the extra curves on Mercedes because that magic ass of hers was made for gripping, but he could also see that Dionne was a knockout who looked significantly younger than she actually was.

She'd been responsible for her own dress and Sam had put a lot of effort into convincing her that Santana was chomping at the bit to add a little bit of magic. The last minute decision to change the color scheme to a deep claret red and gold finally caused her to give in and the intricate gold detailing on the outer layer of the dress had the hallmark of quality and made her skin glow. The addition of a small veiled pillbox hat set slightly to the side of her head added an extra layer of class and style, making the downright sexy dress up to the notch befitting a more mature bride on her second marriage.

Stevie nudged him. "It's a good job Holly's not here. She might suddenly stop being fine with her flirting with me if she saw this!"

Sam glared back at his brother. "Don't even joke about it!"

Stevie just grinned and Sam knew that he was joking but he wasn't even up for joking about anything that could inadvertently hurt Mercedes. Holly was supposed to come, but the boys were recovering from and ear infection and there was no way that she was going to risk flying with them.

"Don't worry baby bro, my heart's just as tied up as yours!"

Sam said nothing. He and Stevie had never spoken about the possibility of things being rekindled. It was as if his brother had decided it was for the best not to allow him to get his hopes up. But at the same time, Sam refused to forget the time that Stevie had referred to Dionne as his future mother in law, and he'd been crazy mad at the time.

Dionne's eyes were focused on Artie as she walked and the love radiated from her. The smile turned into shock as she looked up and realized that it was the _real_ rev Al Green standing before them. His presence necessitated the change from the hotel chapel because he didn't want to do the ceremony in a chapel that was located in a hotel where gambling took place. This had led them to find a small picturesque chapel off the strip which actually a more beautiful location and away from all the fuss of The Strip. It had been decorated beautifully with fresh flowers. The fact that the Al could combine the ceremony into a bigger trip with a series of sermons specifically designed for Sin City was also a bonus but had still involved Sam calling in several favors.

The wedding speech was brief but moving and even Sam felt himself slightly misting over at the exchange of vows. Dionne was as hard as nails but looking at her smiling into Artie's eyes as she said her vows without hesitation showed the other softer side to her which he always knew was there, just carefully hidden from most. She was a strong woman and despite everything that had happened, and her ability to rip him to shreds, which she had been entirely correct to do on both occasions, he was fond of her and held her in deep respect. And he knew that the fact that she tolerated him and called him out the way she did meant that the fondness went both ways. Her no nonsense attitude sat well with him.

Throughout the ceremony his eyes would drift to Mercedes. On more than one occasion their eyes met and they would quickly look away shyly like teenagers. It was cute and sweet and embarrassing. He knew that the fact he was now welcome at the wedding was purely down to her and that meant the world to him. Not only had he spent a lot of time and effort with Artie to make this day special, he also was starting to feel like part of the family. He hadn't had an opportunity to get to know Artie until the wedding project together, and now that he had, he could see how his own unique brand of funky no-nonsense perfectly tempered Dionne's. Her breezy "If you're still free that weekend you might as well come and see the fruits of your labor," was a small sentence with huge meaning. Dionne has simply said the words as she was passing through but the message was clear. After being told in no uncertain terms that he was no longer welcome to the event, this change of heart, which clearly wasn't up to the bride herself, spoke volumes and he would always be appreciative at the opportunity. The fact that Mercedes would no longer be uncomfortable around him in such a scenario gave him comfort and hope.

The brief ceremony went by in a blur because of his distraction. But Al Green's wedding speech was inspiring yet serious and it made Sam think about what he wanted for his own wedding.

His wedding... If it ever happened.

Finally tearing his eyes from the back of Mercedes' head he focused on the radiant bride. She'd previously cast a couple of glances at the congregation, because unbeknown to her he had secretly put up a small group of her close friends at the MGM Grand so that they could be in attendance. Artie had selected them carefully to ensure that they were only the ones she would truly have wanted there. But now her attention was focused solely in the man in the tuxedo before her, love and adoration, radiating from her every pore. There had been a moment when Mercedes had looked at him like that, and he sincerely hoped that it would happen again someday.

Vows were exchanged and Artie's brother Victor who was also Best Man, handed over the rings. Even though he was a few years younger than the man, he looked a lot like Artie's shorter, slightly rounder twin. The two brothers shared a healthy bond and Sam had enjoyed meeting Victor's family before the ceremony.

There wasn't going to be a reception, but now with the added guests, Sam had hired out a small Greek off strip family restaurant for the evening. It was Dionne's favorite cuisine and they were able to have a relaxed five course meal without interruptions as well as speeches, dancing and plate smashing. Walking into the venue had been interesting. As the bridal party entered, everyone was paired up and holding hands. Sam had only just been able to actually get to say hello to Mercedes for the first time that day when Chey had interrupted them. He had tried to grab her hand but she'd shaken him off. "No! You hold mommy's hand!" At first he had been taken aback, especially with her previous attitude towards handholding, but looking around everyone was walking in twos, holding hands. Artie with Dionne, best man Victor with his wife Jane, Quinn was with Puck, Artie's daughters with their groomsmen husbands and even Chey was hand in hand with little Mia. Sam had turned to see if Stevie was around to alleviate the situation but he seemed to have disappeared.

"Let's just humor her. We're on different tables for the evening anyway." The fact that it was Mercedes' small hand finding his made him smile. He hoped the smile hid his reaction to the bolts of electricity that came in through his fingers the moment they touched. He needed more of this but Mercedes was quick to rationalize. "Mia's parents are in front, then Chey and Mia, it makes sense to have Chey's parents follow behind."

"Yeah I guess it does." But holding her hand made a lot more sense than just keeping the wedding party in order. He just needed her to see it.

Sadly that was their only real opportunity of connecting. He had tried to catch up with her as she spoke with Artie but luck was not on his side. He had smiled when she had embraced the man. "I can't believe it's finally happened. Now for the first time I have someone I can actually call dad!"

"Oh hell no!" Artie shook his head emphatically. "I'm still 'Mista R to the T'! Don't be making me sound like an old man just coz I wears a ring now!"

Mercedes groan and laugh made him smile, but before he could join in the conversation he was pulled into another one by Victor. Mercedes seemed to totally disappear for the slow dancing but reappeared for the lively but less intimate Greek dancing. She flew back the next day with Chey, deciding that Vegas was not really the place for a child and he had to agree. He would have loved to have been on the flight with them but was using his presence in Vegas to arrange a couple of potentially lucrative business meetings which required him to stay on a little longer and Stevie had been the first to leave, taking the red-eye after the reception so that he could get back to his family.

Again more weeks passed. This time the next project was Chey's seventh birthday. Time had gone by quickly and it was now nearly a year since he and Mercedes reconnected. She wanted to plan the birthday herself and he let her, happy just to be invited. Mercedes had worried about his presence and the questions it might raise, but the fact that she kept it as a low key children's party with minimal adults outside of the usual suspects actually made things easier. There were a couple of extras who were a little star struck, like Kelly Pilsbury, the mother of Chey's friend Emma, but all in all it was fine. Sam found Emma to be a strange little girl. She was a petite redhead who seemed to have her own set of rules for everything. While most kids would tear around, getting themselves dirty and making a mess, Emma hated dirt and barely touched anything. Her clothing always had to be pristine and she wasn't a fan of physical contact from anyone aside from Chey. Somehow though, Chey seemed to take it all in her stride, taking the little girl's hand and leading her everywhere, moving things that she thought might upset her and filling her head with chatter.

Seven year old Chey was definitely maturing. The tired sleepy girl in the yellow pajamas he had first seen the night he had shouted at Mercedes was now taller and prettier than ever before. She was starting to be slightly less childish and was starting to get too big to be picked up all the time by Mercedes. Those kind of cuddles were reserved for daddy and he made sure that she still had plenty to make up for it.

It was a slow road, but despite everything, he felt that he and Mercedes were getting closer again. The cookie cutters never did get mentioned. He couldn't be sure if she realized that he knew that she had found them but didn't want to be the first to bring them up. He was avoiding anything that could be seen as putting pressure on her, including serious flirting and the mentioning of various taboo subjects.

It was hard, very hard, but having her in his life like this was better than not having her in his life at all. But there was also a change in her, a positivity that had been growing since her return from Kentucky. And damned if that new attitude wasn't sexy as hell too!

* * *

_'I promise you two things, first, that I will never do wrong by you and Chey again, however hard I'm hurting, and second, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere and I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes for us to get back onto the same page again…'_

Mercedes stared hard at her reflection in the mirror before turning to grab her jacket. She was only going to work for a few hours with Kurt while Chey was in school. There was nothing unusual in that. Stopping again at the mirror she added another slick of lip gloss even though it didn't really make much of a difference. It was just work…

Only it wasn't _just _work_… _Today was Thursday. Often on a Thursday Kurt would take an extended lunch break and go to meet Dave at the hospital. Mercedes didn't mind. She liked being alone in the office sometimes. Kurt was great to work with but he shared the same tendency towards incessant chatter that Chey had so the little breaks were welcome. Except for this time, the day before he had dropped a bombshell. Sam would be coming by the office at some point. He had a radio interview about the charity that evening and was coming to pick up some figures and other information which he might need. That in itself wasn't a problem. What was a problem was the timing. There was no issue if he got there while Kurt was around. But if he came when she was alone…

Every time she saw him or thought about him, his words from their conversation at Unique's would play over and over in her head.

_'I won't give up on us…'_

She shook her head and grabbed her car keys. It's not as if she and Sam hadn't been alone together because they had. But it was only ever for a few moments. And there was always someone, usually Chey, just out of sight or earshot. This time there would be no safety net for her to run out to when she felt overwhelmed. Because she did feel overwhelmed by him. A lot. She couldn't help it. He filled her senses with his manliness.

Coming back from Kentucky and accepting her feelings was one thing. Knowing what to do with those feelings was quite another. It was one thing to know that he still wanted to be with her, and another to be walking down the aisle with him watching her with an expression that clearly told her that he was wishing it was her that was the bride and him at the altar. And truth be told, she felt it too. Somehow, inside her something had shifted. A decision had been made without her consent. It wasn't a case of _if _she would be able to get over what had happened and still find a future with Sam, it was _when._ The trip had done her an immeasurable amount of good. Her two conversations, the first to Riley and the second with Martha, had been better than anything that hours of therapy could have given her. She didn't need therapy. She didn't need Dr Zizes or Dr Trent whose card she had never been able to find anyway. Everything that she needed to heal was already now in place. She just needed to apply it. What she had needed was the needed the physical closure of going and doing what she had done.

Returning was like having a weight lifted off her. So many things slotted into place. Much of her feelings of guilt stemmed from her feelings towards Riley. She never truly felt broken up with him which is why her relationship with Shane was as shallow as it was, and why her feelings over Sam had hurt her so much. Accepting he was gone had so many far reaching effects and in the weeks that followed she made sure that she took the time to process what had happened and what her feelings were.

And in all that time there was one constant.

She loved Sam.

Despite everything, she loved him.

And now she had the added factor of him and those damn cookie cutters. He had them. She suspected so when she was unable to find them. Her memory of the event was still hazy but she was sure that she meant to take them, and they were no longer with the other shapes and letters. Her mom denied ever having seen any 'missing' cutters (Mercedes hadn't dared to tell her specifically which ones they were). But finding them in his room, in the same drawer as the book of pictures of Chey that she had given him, and a framed version of what she already knew to be his favorite family photo from their holiday that had stunned her. For the first few seconds she had been mad, then she had realized that he was keeping them and treasuring them like he'd told her many times before he did with the book of Chey's pictures.

The worst part about the cookie cutters was that she hadn't been able to close the drawer properly. She'd pushed as hard as she could but it was still left sticking out slightly. Sam had to have known what she had done and what she had seen but he said nothing. Instead it was this elephant in the room. She loves him. He _knows_ that she loves him. But frustratingly he's using now to be the perfect gentleman and let her be the first to say it.

_That's _why she was so nervous about potentially being alone with him. She'd been hiding from the opportunities to say what needed to be said.

Kurt had been on a buzz all morning. He kept trying to explain a situation to Mercedes but she wasn't quite understanding. She had always been under the impression that there was something going on between Kurt and Dave but it seemed that Kurt was helping Dave with 'coming out' to his parents, and Dave had a cute friend that they were both interested in. Where Kurt's ex Wes came into this story was anybody's guess, but somehow he did, and now all she was left with was the kind of confusion that came from watching a soap opera after missing a few episodes. It also didn't help that she was distracted by the potential of Sam walking through the door at any moment and things getting awkward.

But the morning passed quickly and before she knew it, Kurt was checking his reflection in the wall mirror for the umpteenth time before flying out the door calling out a list of instructions that she didn't catch at all. All she could do was sit and pray that he would return before Sam's arrival.

"Hey Mercedes!" The timbre of his voice and the way he said her name was something that she was never ever going to become immune to.

"Hi!" She smiled to hide her shock at suddenly seeing him. He hadn't been buzzed in which meant that someone from one of the other offices had clearly recognized him and let him in.

He looked about expectantly. "Kurt around?"

"Er, no. He usually takes a long lunch on a Thursday. You literally just missed him."

"That's a shame. He knew I was coming. I hope I can find everything I need." He looked around with a small frown and Mercedes could see the precise moment that the possibilities of their situation presented themselves to him, and a small glint appeared in his eye. "So… I guess it's just you and me here then."

She looked down at her desk and shuffled some papers. "Yeah."

Reading Sam's body language she was genuinely convinced that he hadn't realized they would be left alone here like this. Kurt, on the other hand, was far more of an unknown factor and there were definitely going to be questions asked later. "The blue file on his desk is for you."

"Fantastic." He smiled and made no move to pick up the file_. Damn him!_ "So how've you been?"

"I've been good."

"And Chey?"

"Crazy as ever. She took the book you gave her to school today to show her friends. She's in love with it."

"Hmmm..." A small smile played on his lips and she regretted the use of the words 'in love' in his presence. Damn this was hard! And what didn't help was the fact that he was looking really good. The unseasonably warm day had him in his shirt sleeves with a slightly loosened tie. What she wouldn't give to loosen it that little bit more! He'd rested his jacket on Kurt's desk and she knew that he wasn't going to be going anywhere in a hurry. Her mind desperately ran through and eliminated a million excuses for her to leave the room as he pulled himself up to sit on Kurt's desk, facing her. "Kurt says you really seem to like working here."

_Now he was going and starting a conversation… _"I do. Kurt's a great guy and my circumstances put me in the perfect position to 'give something back.'"

Sam nodded. "And Stevie says you've had some really creative fundraising ideas."

She simply nodded in silence and he sighed. "Look, I know I don't really get the chance to talk to you outside of being with Chey but I never thought it was going to be this hard!"

"I'm sorry. It's just... I'm in work mode right now."

He looked disappointed. "I see. I was going to ask if you wanted to grab a bite to eat seeing as Kurt's already on his break but I guess you're busy."

She wasn't busy, she just wasn't comfortable with him being around. Or rather, she wasn't comfortable with the way that his being around made her _feel_…

"It's not that! It's just… What time is your interview tonight?"

"Six."

"Are you nervous?"

He shook his head. "I've done a million of these things. It's just a ten minute slot giving some feedback about how the money raised at the concert is being spent. Kurt should have all the facts and figures here for me in this folder." He tapped it lightly but still didn't pick it up or make any move to leave.

"You and Stevie should be really proud of what you've achieved through setting up this charity."

Sam said nothing, he just smiled gently. "Do you have any paper? Or, something like a notebook that I can take with me?"

She frowned. "I'm half way through my notepad but Kurt usually has some spares in his desk so you can just grab one."

Sam looked unsure. "Well I don't really want to start going through his desk."

Mercedes had already stood and started to make her way over before she realized that the request was likely a ruse to make her come closer. And she had fallen for it hook, line and sinker. She stood on the other side of the desk as she handed it to him. Today was not a good day. She was weak. Usually she could keep her emotions calm around Sam but today they were refusing to be calmed. And he just kept smiling at her like she was the most adorable thing in the world.

"You know you've got something in your hair Mercedes. A piece of fluff or a petal or something."

She scoffed. It was a nice try but she wasn't going to fall for it.

Sam sensed her hesitation. "I'm serious. Come here and I'll show you. I'm not sure why Kurt didn't spot it earlier, he's such a perfectionist."

Strike two against Kurt. If there was indeed something in her hair he must literally have been sitting on his hands all morning to not reach out and remove it. There's no way that could be a coincidence.

But yet again her body was betraying her. She knew she was keeping her distance and yet somehow here she was stood in front of Sam. And not from a safe distance. She was stood between his open legs as he perched on the edge of Kurt's desk. She had somehow walked, not only into his personal space, but into his _intimate_ space.

His smile was frustratingly reassuring. "There's nothing to be scared of. Just hold still."

It was easier said than done because her whole body began to shake uncontrollably and her eyes closed as his hand reached past her cheek and into her hair.

"There. I told you." She looked down at the small petal he had clenched between his fingertips. It was from the blossoms on the tree above her parking spot. She cursed Kurt a thousand times for the fact that he could have removed it all morning. Instead he had left her in this situation, this _uncomfortable _situation where she was stood far too close to Sam, with his lips in kissing distance. If she stepped back now it would look rude. But she couldn't do that anyway because she couldn't take her eyes off those lips. They were soft and plump and looked even more kissable than ever before. And his eyes, they had taken on that dark appearance that signaled the fact that his current thoughts were also significantly less than pure.

The proximity was killing her. She could feel his breath on her face and every nerve in her body was ringing out. It was too much to bear. Suddenly her heart was pounding and there was no air left in the room.

"Sam…"

Before he had a chance to respond she had closed the gap and kissed him softly on the lips. She hadn't meant to. It was an accident. It was an impulse. It wasn't her at all to take the initiative, and yet now that she had, she just couldn't stop herself as she sank into the kiss. His response, after the initial shock of the suddenness of it, was to moan gently before sweeping his tongue along her bottom lip to be granted automatic entry to the warm heaven that was her mouth. It wasn't until they were breathless that they finally pulled apart with a slight smack of the lips.

He was going to say something but somehow ended up simply meeting her halfway for a second, deeper kiss that caused her arms to wrap around his neck and her body to press closely against him. This kiss had them both reluctant to end it.

Sam regained his composure first and had to make sure that what he had just experienced wasn't some kind of a dream. She had just kissed him. Mercedes Jones had initiated the first kiss between them since he had royally fucked things up. And it was way more than an ambiguous peck. "Wait. I need to know. What does this mean Mercedes? For us?"

She bit her lip and stared at him through her lashes. What the hell had she just gone and done? What _did_ it mean? She'd been thinking about this for a while and had a whole speech prepared, of how she was still working through her feelings, how she still cared about him but needed to talk things through because she still had her fears. How she needed to make sure that she put Chey first. How it wouldn't be good to complicate things. How she was now feeling a lot better and a lot freer of the whole Riley thing. How if, and that was a big if, they were able to move past what had happened they would have to take things slowly with no pressure.

There was so much to say as she felt herself drowning in his eyes. But he'd asked a question and deserved an answer. She opened her mouth and exhaled slowly, trying to phrase all the things she wanted to say in a way that made sense. "Sam I... I love you!"

_Well that was unexpected!_

That wasn't what she'd intended to say at all. She was supposed to rattle off a million reasons why she and him were not a good idea, and yet again, her body had betrayed her. But this was the ultimate betrayal. What was now said could not be unsaid. There was a difference between planning on saying it while on a sex filled high and quite another to blurt it out when your brain was thinking the total opposite. When you head knew what the right thing was but the heart was determined to overrule it.

Sam just stared at her, blinking for a couple of seconds before breaking out into a smile that engulfed his entire face. She thought he was going to kiss her again but he didn't. He traced her cheek tenderly then pulled her against him and held her tight. "I love you too Mercedes. My heart loved you long than my head knew it. I nearly died when I thought that I had lost you forever. I could never be more sorry for all the pain and hurt I caused you."

"Sam-"

"Because I love you so much that it hurts me to think that I had you then lost you-"

"Sam it's okay." Looking into his eyes she saw something that she had never noticed before, something that had never even crossed her mind. She had been so caught up in her own feelings that she'd failed to notice his. His own need for reassurance. "It's scary, and it's taken me a while to reach this point, but I want to give us another try."

She watched as he was overcome with emotion. His eyes welled and instead of kissing her like she expected he simply pulled her towards him and held her against his heart until she started to wonder if he would ever let her go. All that time that she had been broken, he had been broken too.

"I love you Mercedes." The words were muffled into her neck and she lifted his head to look up at her before resting her forehead against his.

"I love you too Sam." The words felt strange coming out of her mouth. But they also felt right. This time when she kissed him again it was almost completely without fear. "I just need to hear you say it one more time Sam. One more time tell me that you'll never hurt me and Chey ever again.

He cradled her face in his hands and stared her straight in the eyes. "I promise. I would rather die than do anything to hurt you."

It was all she needed for the floodgates to open. She grabbed fistfuls of his hair as she kissed him with a ferocity that almost scared her. Sam response was to grab her ass. Her mouth was filled with the taste of her lipgloss which had been transferred from her lips to his and back to her through their connection. There was passion, regret, desperation and love all meshed together to be summed up in one great big word, _emotion. _That kiss was everything and she was giving him everything. She didn't just kiss him with her lips, she kissed him with her whole being.

What had started as a kiss quickly because a physical exploration that had them both hot under the collar. Mercedes felt her inhibitions leave as her senses became all about Sam. Everything was Sam and if he spun her round and decided to fuck her right there on Kurt's desk she would probably let him. Hell, maybe she should be the one to suggest it!

Or maybe her desk. Because Kurt would kill her if she messed up his.

But seriously, had she really just moaned and pulled Sam's shirt out from his pants so that she could run her hands over his abs? _Really?_

Sam finally pulled back with a groan. His hair was messy, his face was flushed, his lips were swollen and his eyes were just two enlarged pupils. "Is this really happening?" he breathed.

"Uh huh!" Her lips found his neck. "Definitely really happening."

"And we're back on? Officially I mean."

She smiled against his lips. "Officially. Or at least it will be when there's a little less conversation and a little more action!" Even as the words came out of her mouth she was shocked at the uncharacteristic brazenness of them. But then her panties were so wet they could literally be wrung out and she was so full of pent up passion that she would have said anything. She needed Sam, physically and emotionally. Grinding her body against his she could feel the bulge that told her he was in exactly the same situation.

But yet again he pulled away. "Mercedes, if we do this now, there's no going back. I need to know that you're sure. Are you _really_ sure about this?"

Now she was frowning. _What was with all the questions at a time like this?_

"I've never been more sure of anything Sam."

"That's what I was hoping you would say." He pulled even further back before turning and reaching for his jacket and pulling something out of the inside pocket. She whimpered at the feel of his body pulling away from hers. "I just made a promise to you Mercedes, and I don't take my promises lightly. There's something that I want you to have. But I need you to not overreact. Okay?"

She gasped as he handed her a small blue velvet Tiffany's ring box.

"Mercedes, I know that I'll never be unable to undo the damage I caused when I acted selfishly after your accident. I know that the relationship we have now is purely down to your loving and forgiving nature. I don't deserve what you give me with Chey. And I definitely don't deserve a second chance with you. I've been carrying this around with me every day since Valentine's because I know that I'd rather spend the rest of my life waiting for you than wasting my time trying and failing to fall in love with someone new."

Her heart raced and she started to feel dizzy. "Sam, you can't just-"

"Mercedes, I told you not to overreact. Just take a look inside and let me explain."

Mercedes released a long ragged breath. She'd gone from wanting to make love to wanting to run within a few seconds. Yes she had been moving fast but Sam was travelling at fucking warp factor and she wasn't sure she would be able to handle that!

"Breathe…" Sam leaned forward and kissed her frozen lips gently. "If you hate it, you can give it straight back to me and I won't be offended. Okay? I just need you to at least take a look and let me explain to you why I want you to have it."

Mercedes continued with her slow deep breaths. Surely she could humor the man by at least looking at the thing before running out of the room screaming?

"Please Mercedes?"

Something about his tone was so innocent and expectant that she decided, just for the first few seconds, she would go along with this before shutting it down with a quickness. She was a woman not a piece of property.

With one final glance at his face she bit her bottom lip and used her shaky hands to finally open the box, before gasping at the beautiful platinum ring inside…

…

**_What has Sam done? Good, bad, sneaky or clever? (Am getting Sam house buying feels from this question.) I'll be very curious to see if anyone can work out what's going on. If anyone gets it correct I'll PM them a spoiler!_**


	35. The Promise

**_Congrats to everyone who guessed correctly! I tried to PM you all and hopefully I didn't miss anyone out. As it's a Glee story I sort of went for the obvious. _**

**_And as usual, late night posting means this is riddled with errors which will be corrected in due course…_**

* * *

_"Mercedes, I told you not to overreact. Just take a look inside and let me explain."_

_Mercedes released a long ragged breath. She'd gone from wanting to make love to wanting to run within a few seconds. Yes she had been moving fast but Sam was travelling at fucking warp factor and she wasn't sure she would be able to handle that!_

_"Breathe…" Sam leaned forward and kissed her frozen lips gently. "If you hate it, you can give it straight back to me and I won't be offended. Okay? I just need you to at least take a look and let me explain to you why I want you to have it."_

_Mercedes continued with her slow deep breaths. Surely she could humor the man by at least looking at the thing before running out of the room screaming?_

_"Please Mercedes?"_

_Something about his tone was so innocent and expectant that she decided, just for the first few seconds, she would go along with this before shutting it down with a quickness. She was a woman not a piece of property._

_With one final glance at his face she bit her bottom lip and used her shaky hands to finally open the box, before gasping at the beautiful platinum ring inside…_

The ring was beautiful. It was slim and delicate, perfect to be worn on her small hands. It was an eternity ring and she didn't doubt for a second that the tiny stones twinkling up at her from their setting were real diamonds. Yet it wasn't flashy, it was actually pretty discrete. Something she could wear without fearing that she would be mugged for it.

Mercedes was speechless._ Why the hell would he go and do something like this?_

She felt her voice starting to shake with uncertainty. "What is this Sam? I can't take something as big as a ring just now… It's literally only been five minutes..."

He was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry. This is me being the geek that you always say I am. I said I wouldn't put pressure on you and I meant it. This is a promise ring."

She frowned. "A promise ring? Like the kind that dorky sappy over romantic hormonal kids in high school give?"

He grinned. "Yeah. Something like that." Her quizzical look spoke volumes but he chose to ignore her expression. "But this isn't about being sappy and romantic. It's serious. It's to signify everything I've promised about you and Chey. What I said that day in Unique's after your accident still holds true. I promise I will never do anything to harm you again. I promise to never turn my back. I promise to always be here when you need me and I promise that the rest of my life is going to be spend making it up to you, and loving you to the best of my ability."

Sam held her gaze so intensely that she had to fix her eyes back on the ring, only to be overwhelmed by that as well. "Oh Sam, it's beautiful."

"_You're_ beautiful."

She blushed. "But you didn't have to-"

"I know. But I wanted to. Every time you're feeling sad, or in the back of your mind you're worrying about how things might work out with us, I want you to look at that ring and remember how I feel about you."

But still, a ring seemed a bit much. And the words he was saying to her were making her insides do crazy things. So much was rushing through her mind and she struggled to ground herself and focus on just one thing. She could still feel his intense gaze as she avoided his eyes by taking a closer look at the gift. "Is this…is this _platinum_? It must have cost-"

"It doesn't cost a fraction of your worth, or the value of your love, but it means everything to me. Now that you're no longer mad at me for what happened-"

This time she did have to look right back at him. "Oh Sam! I haven't been mad at you about that for the longest time. I already told you ages ago that I'd forgiven you. And I've still loved you the whole time. The thing that was holding me back was fear. I know what heartbreak feels like and I can't bear to put my daughter through it. She's my life and my first priority. I know I can't protect her from hurt forever but I can do my best to postpone it for as long as possible. My heart can be sacrificed, hers can't. I can live without love. She doesn't deserve to go through the kind of things I went through if it can be prevented."

He nodded seriously, knowing that the regret over his actions and their consequences was never going to leave him. "I know I broke my word. I know I said that whatever happened with us would never affect Chey and I let you down. I let you both down. This ring is to assure you that I'll never make that mistake again. These last couple of months we've been able to work together as a team, even though we weren't _together_ together. Now that we are, we'll make the perfect team." He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I don't want to rush you into anything Mercedes and I'm not going to try to. I know how you work now and I don't want to send you into a tailspin. I just need you to take this as a reminder of how serious I am about this. About _us_."

Mercedes was still reeling from the sight of the ring. It was beautiful in its simplicity. A very delicate set ring but beautiful, class and understated. She loved it. "Have you really been carrying this around with you since Valentines?"

He nodded. "Every single day. I had it made for you. As long as it's with me, it's been a reminder of how much of a jerk I've been. And as long as it's with you it's a reminder of how I've promised to love you and do you right for as long as there's still breath left in my body."

"So what if I never accepted it."

"Then it would have been my conscience for the rest of my life, the symbol of love lost through my own sheer stupidity."

"So all I have to do is accept this?"

"It's a token Mercedes, a gesture. All you have to do is accept it. It's not me trying to trap you in any way."

She looked thoughtfully at the ring. It seemed to be calling her.

But this was a _ring_. Accepting it could have all manner of consequences.

She bit her lip nervously. "And I just need to take it... I don't have to wear it?"

He shook his head and looked at her sincerely. "I've promised I'm not going to pressure you and I won't. I just need you to accept it. You don't have to wear it if you're not comfortable."

Mercedes closed her eyes and released a long slow breath. That was exactly what she needed to hear. Leaning forward she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Sam. Thank you for letting me choose what to do with it. I accept."

She could feel him smile as she lifted the ring from the box and examined it carefully. She hadn't notice the engraving before, assuming it was just a hallmark. Inside was engraved the words 'I Promise You'. She silently contemplated it before putting it back into the box. "This kind of thing…" she spoke slowly and softly, "this kind of thing is exactly why I've fallen in love with you Sam. Because your heart is so much bigger than you realise."

Sam tried to pull her into an embrace but she resisted, instead focussing on the ring. After a couple of seconds she slipped it onto the third finger of her right hand, smiling as she heard Sam gasp in surprise and pleasure. She held her hand out to him. "How do you think it looks?"

He took her hand and kissed the back of it, on top of the ring. "It looks perfect." The delicate ring looked just right on her slender finger.

Mercedes had always hated her small hands feeling that they were out of proportion but this ring worked. This ring worked _really well. _"The sizing's pretty good too." She giggled and wiggled her fingers at him.

Sam responded by grabbing her hand and kissing the back of her fingers, concentrating on the ring. "Did I ever tell you that you have beautiful hands? Because you do, you know." He ran his lips on a trail of seduction all around the back of her hand before relishing the sound of her deep breaths as he slowly kissed each of her fingertips. "You know that by wearing a ring on this particular finger is pretty interesting..."

Mercedes frowned, wondering why he was choosing to use this particular moment to spew out random geek facts as he sometimes had the tendency to do.

"If this was happening in Poland, you would be married to me now because they wear their wedding rings on the right hand rather than the left."

She rolled her eyes. "This isn't Poland Sam."

"Isn't that a crying shame." He placed a soft kiss on her lips before she could come back at him with a smart reply. Sam's kisses were something that she had gone far too long without and they were toxic against to her power of coherent thought.

_I'm supposed to be working…_

There was a distant thought in the back of her mind. But it was very distant and easy to ignore. Very _very_ easy when Sam's hands were running all over her body.

"Sam we shouldn't-" She could barely pull her lips away from him to speak.

"Mercedes, I didn't think you could get any sexier, but seeing you wearing my ring…"

She looked into his eyes and they were so dark they barely even registered green anymore. She became lost herself as his lips trapped hers with an emotional ferocity that took her breath away.

Mercedes heard the distant sound of a moan and it took a couple of minutes to register that it was actually coming from herself. She was pressed back against Sam's chest and he was ravaging her mouth with his while grinding up against her, leaving her in no doubt of what he was desperate to do.

"Kurt…" She barely got the word out of her mouth but he instantly understood. Standing up he lifted her from underneath her ass and her legs automatically wrapped themselves around him pressing her core even more firmly against his. Sam walked them across the room to the door and pressed her up against it, one hand holding her steady while the other fumbled with the lock until it was firmly in place. Their kisses didn't break as he secured the room, and now, pressed up against the door, she was reminded of the first time they were joined. The frantic fumble against the wall on the roof of the club where desire and need had overcome all rational thought.

Sam could take her, right here, right now, right up against the door- hell her sodden panties were screaming for him to fill her over and over again in every sense of the word. "Sam…"

His answer was a hiss and his eyes were wild because of the way she was rubbing up against him, trying and failing to get the right kind of friction on the right part of her body. With an animal like grunt he again lifted her by the ass and placed her onto her desk. Even in the lustful haze he knew not to let anything happen on Kurt's desk. Once he had settled her on the edge he reached to release her breasts from her shirt while she went straight for his belt. She didn't want foreplay, she wanted release. She needed to feel his love as well as hear it.

"Shit! Not _again_!"

Sam's angry tone pulled Mercedes' level of consciousness from the haze of passion that he had succumbed to. It should have been undignified, the way that her shirt was open, her skirt was hitched up and now minus her soaked panties a which were most likely now in Sam's pocket, but it wasn't, not when Sam was in such a state himself, all swollen lips and sex hair, eyes squeezed shut with pleasure as she stroked his generous length with his hand after freeing it.

"Mercy stop!"

There was no way in hell she was going to stop, not until she felt the exquisite stretch of him pushing into her.

"I haven't- shit!" Sam pulled away from her grasp and it looked as if it was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life. "I'm sorry babe. I'm not the playboy kind of guy who walks around with 'emergency' condoms in his wallet like a teenager anymore. I don't have anything…"

"It doesn't matter." She was surprised by her immediate response. And even more surprised by how true it was.

"But you could get- hell you got pregnant _with_ a condom! We can't risk-"

"I'm prepared to risk it with you Sam." Mercedes was stunned at her own boldness but already knew there was no going back.

His eyes widened with surprise. "Really?"

"We already have one child together. And the odds are it probably won't happen just from this once, we've already had our one in a million. But even if it does, I know you love me and you'll stand by me."

Sam groaned. All he had heard was that she was happy to have another child with him and it was enough. They could have the full conversation later. He shuddered as she guided him towards her entrance. "I'm sorry it's like this. There should be rose petals and champagne and candles and shit-"

She looked up at him with the heavily lidded eyes that came from desire and denial. "Just put it in Saaaa…"

By the time she got to his name she was already feeling the stretch of his entry. Sam pulled her ass over the edge of the desk and covered her mouth with his to swallow her cries of pleasure as they rhythmically rocked her desk. He hooked on leg over his hip to open her wider as he sped up his thrusts. Slow sweet lovemaking could wait. This was hot passionate makeup sex. It was risky, messy and hot as hell. She still wasn't used to the feel of him yet and his movements were blowing her mind. With one arm draped around the back of his neck and one hand on his ass she came hard, the feel of Sam's hot seed pouring into her extending her orgasm, the thrill and risk of it all nearly making her lose her mind with pleasure and excitement.

Kisses and whispers of love followed as they calmed themselves.

By the time they had straightened up and aired out the office it was time for Mercedes to pick up Chey from school and Sam to head to his pre radio interview meeting.

And it was only as she was locking up did she see the text message from Kurt on her phone saying that he had a dentist appointment that he had forgotten about so he wouldn't be back until after she had left. Even by text, Kurt was an unconvincing liar. She would deal with him. But not today. Today Sam was coming back to the house after his interview and she needed to prepare herself.

* * *

"This is nice."

Mercedes had opened the door wearing a short purple silk robe that skimmed her thighs and a smile. "Glad you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" Sam had already closed the door behind him and was nuzzling her neck while skimming the hem and her thigh with his hand.

"So I enjoyed your radio interview..."

"Really?" He cocked an eyebrow but didn't stop what he was doing to her neck.

"Yeah really." Her voice was breathless.

"You can tell me what you enjoyed when we get upstairs!" He released her from his grip and gently tapped her on the ass to get her to lead the way.

"Ow! I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not when you already have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Explaining?" Sam attempted to make an innocent expression on his face and failed dismally.

"Yep. I need an explanation of the box that was delivered about an hour after I brought Chey back home."

"Box?" His second innocent expression was even more of a failure than the first.

"The box containing _rose petals and champagne and candles and shit…_"

"Hmmmm… Someone must clearly be a mind reader…"

"And _someone's _thoughts clearly weren't on the interview they were supposed to be preparing for!"

Sam said nothing, he simply grinned before opening the door to Chey's room and smiling. She was buried under her covers and all he could see was a mass of dark curls and the bottom half of an upside down Teddy. She claimed she was now too big to sleep with a toy but more often than not he would somehow find his way from the bottom of the bed to underneath the covers.

Mercedes slid into his arms and they stood for a moment just watching at her sleeping before Sam finally backed them out of the room and shut the door behind them. "I'm sorry I put in a position where you had to make an instant and tough decision earlier."

"The decision wasn't a tough one Sam. We can talk about it later, but for now, let's go and make a dent in one of those bumper packs of condoms that came in the box that you deny all knowledge of…"

Sam wasn't about to argue with that. Not when he knew for a fact that there was dessert waiting to be eaten.

Mercedes' room was lit with fragrant candles and sensual oil burners. There were rose petals scattered on the floor in a path from the door to the bed which was turned down on one side. Next to the bed was a tray with a bottle of champagne, and two flutes already half filled. There was a large bowl with perfectly ripe strawberries and smaller bowls with dark, milk and white chocolate sauces. She went over and stood by them.

"Looks delicious!" Sam made no attempt to hide the fact that he was looking at her rather than the food. In one swift move he had tugged the belt of the robe causing it to fall open, revealing a matching purple bra and pantie set that made him release an involuntary growl of appreciation. Her bountiful breasts, full hips and ass were everything a woman should be. And the promise ring gleamed on her finger. One day, if everything went as planned, she would be wearing it on her left hand.

The first thing Sam did was set the alarm on his phone to get ready for work in the morning because if he didn't do it straight away he was definitely going to be too distracted to remember…

* * *

She could feel a hard body pressed against hers and soft kisses pressed against her face. This was by far the best way that she had ever been woken from her sleep and something she could get used to.

"Morning!"

Sam's eyes looked puffy from the lack of sleep and she dreaded to think how she was looking, but he was still staring at her as if she was the most beautiful creature on earth.

"Hey." She wanted to say more but his wandering hands were proving to be too much of a distraction. He'd had plenty during the night but clearly he was insatiable. One hand cupped a breast while the other made its way between her legs to find her wet and ready. How had that happened? Maybe she'd never actually turned off at any point. But right now it didn't matter because his kisses were everything in this moment until a loud bell caused them both to start.

"Shit!"

It took her a couple of seconds to clock that it was his alarm and he had already reached to switch it off before she completely registered what was happening.

"I set the alarm with a little time to spare."

She was sore, but not so sore that she couldn't go for one last quickie. The sound of foil ripping was quickly replaced by the feel of Sam. Even though they had done it a few times now, she was still getting used to the feel and size of him. Plus the fact that not only was he adept at finding and hitting her spot, he had a way of pressing himself in so deep that it made her see stars.

The night had passed in a blur. From the moment he had opened her robe, the dessert had been forgotten. The bra made it off in one piece but the panties didn't fare quite so well with him using his teeth. For a split second she had been set to protest the fact that this set was seriously expensive before remembering just who it was that was doing the ripping, and if he was liking it this much then she was going to order two sets in every available color as soon as the store opened in the morning.

Sam had taken it slow, painfully slowly, kissing, teasing and dipping his tongue in and out of her. He had traced words of love on her clit with his tongue and his fingers while all she could do was babble incoherently. After letting her scream her first orgasm of the night into her pillow he had worked his way up her body, kissing and nibbling at her hips and belly before finding playtime with her breasts.

The wait had felt impossibly long as he had knelt upright between her legs and carefully sheathed himself with a smile and he was so hard that he had no trouble entering her without guidance, his hands busy pinning her wrists above her head. He'd watched as every sensation passed over her face as he pushed into her. He whispered sexy naughty things and he moved inside her and more than delivered on those promises. His eyes had been trained on her and it reminded her of the morning where the sentiment had been felt and the words had gone unspoken. Now he was doing his best to burn them into her brain.

Sam had muffled their cries as they came together, scared that they would wake Chey, but she was a good sleeper and their noises were nothing in comparison to Sam's shouting that first night. It was nearly an hour after arriving in the room before champagne was drunk and strawberries were eaten, first from the bowl, then dipped in chocolate poured into Mercedes' belly button, then traced all over their bodies.

He had forgotten to take the condoms into the bathroom when they eventually showered and prepared for bed, but it wasn't as if there weren't other ways that they could stimulate each other under the jets of warm water. Mercedes finally had the opportunity to show Sam what she could do with her mouth and Sam had backed her against the tiles and fingered her so hard she suspected she may have squirted a little for the very first time in her life!

She was in that same arched back position as Sam thrust into her, giving her body the best ever wake up call she had ever had. She gasped and whimpered with every thrust, as she allowed herself to be pinned to the bed by his huge hands. She knew it was going to be over far too soon and made the most of the way that his thick length was stretching her to breaking point.

"Fucking... love you… gaaaargh…" He came with a cry, and reached down to flick her clit until her body quivered she joined him.

Foul mouthed Sam had been a revelation. But she loved it! It made her feel desired on a base level. Knowing she was loved was everything, but knowing she was desired in a carnal primitive way turned things up a notch.

He collapsed on top of her, gasping for breath before rolling on his side to not crush her.

"Wow!" She mouthed the word rather than spoke it. Just an early morning quickie, but still… _wow…_

Sam groaned when the snooze alarm rang and he shut it off. "I think I might call in sick. Then we won't have to move from this spot all day."

Mercedes grinned and pecked a small kiss onto the top of his nose. "Sorry to burst your bubble but you have things to report back from your interview, and I have to take Chey to school. She's already missed far too much school because of you."

"Spoilsport!" Sam groaned again but did make moves to get up. "I would ask you to join me in the shower but my memories of the one we took last night tell me it could take a little bit too long…" With one final kiss he finally strode, naked as the day he was born, back into her en suite bathroom. She grinned and kicked her legs like a crazy excited person as she listen to the sound of the shower running. It had just stopped and she was having visions of him stepping out, abs glistening with water clad only in a towel-

"Mommy can I have-"

Mercedes immediately sat up and clutched the covers up to her chin to cover her breasts. "Chey! How many times have I told you about knocking first!"

"Sorry I forgot." To her credit she did look sheepish. "But can I have Cheerios?"

Mercedes was mortified. Her room was a mess. She'd remembered to stack the empty chocolate bowls, but there were still strawberries left, champagne glasses half full on the dresser and rose petals on the floor. Plus there was also a naked Sam in the bathroom and that was going to take a hell of a lot of explaining! She prayed that he wouldn't come out to say hello just yet.

"Yes you can have Cheerios. Just don't make a mess. And next time _knock_. We'll have a chat about it later." She felt like a complete hypocrite but the child had to learn.

Chey made no move to leave. "Mommy, why's there petals on the floor?"

Mercedes blushed. What the hell was she supposed to say to that? The cold light of day was harsh in comparison to the soft candlelight. "They fell honey. I'm going to pick them up a minute."

She could see the answer being weighed up. "Do you have roses?"

"Not anymore." She sighed frustratedly. This talkative child was going to be the death of her! "Chey! Go and start your breakfast, you don't want to be late for school! Mommy's coming, okay?"

Chey let out sigh of her own and turned opening the door half way before turning back. "Mommy can I have some strawberries?"

_Shit the child had eyes everywhere! But in all honesty she would give her anything provided the child got out of the room!_

"I'll bring them downstairs and you can have some in your lunch bag. Now _go!_"

"Is daddy here?"

"I've told you twice already Chey and I'm going to count to three… One..."

Chey left and Mercedes felt bad for her evasiveness. The sound of a slow clap brought her back to her senses. Sam was stood in the doorway of the bathroom with one of her towels wrapped around his waist. "Well handled. I would have freaked out!"

"We're going to have to be honest and we're going to have to do it quickly."

Sam grabbed his watch from the dresser. "We can do it downstairs right now if we're quick."

Mercedes shook her head. "Not right now. We have to be prepared. We have to discuss how we're going to say it and what we're going to say."

"Fair enough. But she must suspect something if she asked if I was here."

"Maybe. But sometimes she just asks randomly when she wants to have pancakes."

"Fair enough. But I do want to say hello to her before I leave."

"Obviously. But just a quick no fuss one. I can't risk her going to school and babbling something inappropriate."

"So when do we do it? This weekend? Saturday? The sooner the better right?"

"Definitely. I think Saturday is the day."

* * *

It took Sam a while to join them in the living room on the Saturday morning. Possibly something to do with the fact that he had spent an age standing in front of the mirror, admiring the scratches on his back from Mercedes' nails. They had gotten more than a little carried away in the heat of passion.

"Daddy!" She leaped into his arms. "When did you come?"

He looked at Mercedes. Now was as good a time as any! "I came last night after you were sleeping."

Chey looked at him with an expression of disappointment until Mercedes chimed in. "Actually, daddy's going to sleep over sometimes. A lot more than he did before."

Chey cocked her head to the side and started a hesitant smile. "Like Emma sleeps over?"

"-Yes."  
"-_No!"_

Their hurried voices overlapped and Sam looked over at Mercedes. Surely they were on the same wavelength? His staying over was most definitely _not_ going to be the same kind of innocent sleepover that Chey was thinking of. But the look Mercedes was shooting him told him that his answer was wrong. They were talking to a child here! Very different rules applied and he realized his mistake. "I mean yes!"

Chey shot him a look of suspicion and he felt himself blushing.

"Like when uncle Artie stayed over at grandma's house?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

There was silence for a moment. "You're mommy's boyfriend again aren't you."

He opened his mouth to reply but couldn't form words so looked at Mercedes who nodded slowly which made him break out into a huge grin. Somehow her acknowledgement like that meant so much. "Yeah. I'm mommy's boyfriend."

Chey released a dramatic sigh with a slight flounce of the shoulders. "Andrew's mom's boyfriend sleeps over at her house sometimes. She says they're always kissing and doing baby making noises in the bedroom!"

Sam choked and even Mercedes' usual composure was broken. Chey was always going to be unpredictable and this was going go down as a prime example. On the one hand the attitude of her reaction wasn't great, but on the other, it was funny as hell! Just like with the infamous 'pussy' statement, it was down to mom to smooth things over. She took a deep breath. "We won't be kissing all the time. Only sometimes." Mercedes suddenly reflected on how Sam had insightfully and discreetly answered her similar question, the last time they had to sit her down to speak to her.

Sam grinned a her before turning back to Chey. "This doesn't mean that I don't love you too Annie. It's just that I have to kiss mommy coz she's so pretty! And mommies get special kisses. They're different to Chey cuddles and kisses so you won't need to worry or get jealous."

Mercedes rolled her eyes at his 'pretty mommy' comment. The man was officially a mess! Chey looked at them both and bit her lip pensively. "Okay..." The reluctance was still there and she appeared to be weighing it up in her mind, leaving Mercedes to wonder if she was thinking back to what had happened before and still blamed herself. "..But only if the kissing is sometimes." She came over to Sam and pulled him into a hug with a cheeky smile. "Does this mean I get more pancakes for breakfast?"

Mercedes shot her a side-eye and even Sam could tell that she was now trying it on.

"Pancakes are for special occasions Annie. Plus I have to go to work in the mornings so I won't have time." There was a pout which miraculously disappeared with another sharp look from Mercedes and Sam felt a little bad for her. "But it means that you get to see me more."

She rested her head on his shoulder. "I'd like to see you more. I like it when you're here. I love you daddy."

Sam's heart swelled and he squeezed her tight. "I love you too precious. We both do." Mercedes smiled at the sight and when he caught her smiling she quickly changed it to a 'just make sure you don't let her wrap you around her little finger' expression.

"Chey, now that daddy will be around more, he's going to expect you to listen and behave when he tells you to."

"Okay." She beamed at her mother and shot her an angelic expression which melted Sam before reaching over to rest her head on her mother's bosom.

It was a lovely gesture, but Mercedes wasn't born yesterday and she whispered to Sam, "I hope you know she's going to forget that she said that within the next five minutes."

He grinned. "I know. But I'll keep reminding her. She was a good girl when we went out with Puck so I know that she can do it." He grinned even harder when he saw Mercedes' new habit of absently playing with her new ring and twirling it around her finger as she embraced her daughter.

"Daddy?" Chey was up out of her arms and moving again.

"Yep?"

"I have a question."

"Okay..."

"After you've been mommy's boyfriend, will you marry her like uncle Artie married grandma?"

He could hear Mercedes' sharp intake of breath and couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze. "That depends on mommy. Right now I'm just happy to be her boyfriend."

Chey thought carefully about the answer before deciding that she was happy with it. "I want to be bridesmaid again."

"I'll bear that in mind baby."

Finally he worked up the courage to glance at Mercedes who was smiling thoughtfully at the both of them so he took her hand in his but waited until they were safely away in the kitchen out of Chey's sight before kissing her. "I think that went well. Our daugher definitely 'ships' us being together."

"I hope so." She snuggled into his arms and rested her head against his chest.

"I know so."

Sam raised her face so that he could place a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you Mercedes Jones. Fancy heading upstairs to create some baby making noises?"

She scoffed. "Not with Chey up and about and especially not straight after she just mentioned it!"

"Aaaaw..." Sam pulled the perfect Chey pout and drew his hand sensually down her back, making her have to use every ounce of her willpower to step away from the imminent danger.

"Not falling for it Sam!"

"But-"

She grinned mischeviously. "But if you behave now, I may just make it worth your while after she's gone to sleep tonight..."

* * *

"Today's been long overdue!" Stacey was slouched in the soft seat, surrounded by shopping bags. Mercedes couldn't understand why the smaller and more expensive the item of clothing, the bigger the bag it came in. It was probably just an advertising ruse but it worked damn well.

"Yeah. It was definitely fun."

Mercedes smiled as she watched Stacey take a huge slurp of her frappe before eating the cream off the top with her straw. Stacey had dyed her hair a softer, lighter shade of blond and the pixie cut had grown out into short layered bangs which just reached her chin. Even though the hair was different, her face was still very much like Sam's and every once in a while it would make Mercedes catch her breath.

"So I promised myself I wasn't going to say anything but…"

Stacey looked sheepish and Mercedes knew exactly what she was referring to. "Okay… yes Sam and I are back on."

Stacey's eyes twinkled with happiness. "I knew it! I didn't want to pry but you look so happy now and I'm glad. I know that he's my brother but he was a would class douche, something I have no problem telling him on a regular basis!"

She laughed. "I know. Sam told him about your lecture."

Stacey joined in the laughter. "Everything I said was completely true!"

"I know, but you made him feel bad."

"And rightly so!" Stacey's expression was unrepentant. Sam had blushed when he had told her of his first encounter with Stacey after the accident. Considering she was the youngest, she had acted the oldest, dropping everything to come and visit Mercedes and lecture Sam. To anyone that wouldn't have sounded so bad, especially considering what he had been through with Stevie and Holly. But Stacey's lecture had been the hardest. Sam knew how much she loved Mercedes, and to have her looming over him telling him just how _disappointed_ she had been with his behaviour made him feel utterly ashamed. It was like a lecture from his parents, and the fact that she shared his mother's expressions and mannerisms had hit things home all the more. Sam had felt like it was Mary Evans looking down at him with disapproval. And it wasn't just the words that had hurt. She had genuinely looked pained as she had spoken to him. Pained, hurt and embarrassed. Mercedes was her friend. Mercedes was her sister. If he had been anyone else he didn't doubt that she would probably have physically hurt him. As it was she had looked as if she was restraining herself. Instead, she had managed the mean feat of making him feel even worse than he already had been, which was no mean feat considering he didn't think it was possible to feel any worse than he already was.

The situation was ironic but all Sam could do was sit and listen to his lecture. He had lectured her many times over the years as had Stevie, but this was the first time that he had felt that the roles had been reversed. It wasn't a feeling he had liked. Especially when the gist of what she was saying was how could he be so stupid and hurtful when clearly they loved each other and were supposed to be together. She didn't outrightly say the words, but the meaning had been clear as crystal. He was supposed to be with Mercedes but he had ruined it. It was his fault. The blame lay firmly with him in her eyes. He was her brother and she still loved him dearly but she didn't have to like him very much.

But she had been good with Mercedes. Much as she wanted to she hadn't broached the subject and now she was ready to burst. "So I don't want to be nosy and you can tell me to shut up if you want to, but… you and my brother… and the ring on your finger…" She looked as Mercedes sheepishly though her eyelashes and suddenly she went from looking like Sam to looking like Chey.

Mercedes smiled and absently played with the ring. "We're back on..."

"_Yes!_" Stacy did discreet fist bump which had Mercedes in stitches.

"It's only been a few days and we're taking it slowly but we _are_ officially back together-" She couldn't say anymore than that because Stacey had pulled her into a suffocating hug, muffling her ability to speak.

"Welcome to the family! I wanted to say that the first time but Sam whisked you off so quickly and…" Her words faltered slightly so she pulled her into a second embrace. "Am I allowed too ask about the ring?"

Mercedes smiled. "It's not what you think."

"I think my brother has made enough mistakes and unless you've reached his level of crazy, I can't imagine you both ran off to Poland to secretly get married without telling any of us…"

She rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and your brother and this whole Poland thing? This ring is far more innocent than that. It's Sam's conscience."

"Conscience?"

"His promise to basically never screw up again."

"Please don't tell me my brother was being lame gave you a _promise_ ring?" Stacey practically choked with laughter.

"Of sorts." She smiled shyly and shrugged. "But he sold it well."

"I bet he did!"

"Hey! I mean he _explained_ it well. It's basically my insurance that he'll never screw up again."

Stacey took her hand and looked closer at the ring. "And it's heavy duty insurance too. This ring is exquisite. I wouldn't mind one myself, but I don't want to have to deal with the kind of shit that it's insuring against for the future."

"Things happen Stacey. I admit there was a lot of hurt but we've managed to find our way past it. That's the most important thing. It's called being in a grown up relationship."

"I guess it is. The reason I couldn't stay mad at Sam was because I could see just how hurt and sorry he was. He's crazy about you and he would be crazy to screw it up again. This time he's for keeps Mercedes."

"I know."

And she did know. Not only that, she was also completely alright with it!

Mercedes smiled brightly and stirred her drink. "So speaking of grown up relationships, I take it these little scraps of pretty underwear you've been buying mean things are going well with Jake?"

This time it was Stacey's turn for the shy smile. "Very. We're going to a concert next Saturday night and making a weekend of it then the following weekend I'm going to meet his mom."

"His mom! That's exciting!"

"No. That's scary! I hear she's a bit of a matriarch. Jake's got three sisters and two brothers. Most of them live away from home like he does but I might meet a couple. He hasn't told her I'm coming so that she won't make a big deal. I don't know if the element of surprise will be a good thing or not but he says it'll be for the best."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I remember how scared I was when I met you all for the first time. It's natural. But if they make you feel even half as welcome as you made me, then things will go brilliantly."

"You were scared to meet us?"

"Petrified!"

"Why? We're not scary!"

"I didn't know that yet!" Mercedes laughed. "I was really worried that you would be judging me on so many different levels. I don't exactly look the part and could easily have been someone with an agenda to get someone from your family. I'm embarrassed to admit that if the roles had been reversed I don't know if I would have been so welcoming!"

"You have Sam to thank for that. He'd been bigging you up for weeks! And the fact that you looked and behaved so normally was the deal breaker. I think even then Sam probably cared about you more than even he realised. It took forever for us to meet Kirsten at the house. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate her, I just didn't feel she was right. She wasn't fun and she didn't make as much effort with the family as you did. Pregnant Holly was an emotional mass of hormones and you were the perfect person for Sam to bring around."

"Maybe, but we're talking about _you _not me! Stop deflecting!"

"I'm not deflecting. I just really like Jake and want to cut a good impression."

"You will."

"I hope so. His parents are divorced and we're seeing his dad's family the weekend after. That's going to be harder because Jake doesn't like his new wife. But he and his dad actually talk a lot at he wants to meet me so we're going."

"It sounds like he really wants you to be a part of his life."

"I know. And it's really exciting! He wants us to go away for a week too."

"And will you?"

"Yeah. But Stevie wants him to come to the house first. I think he wants to do the whole fatherly scary chat thing."

"It'll be fine."

"No it won't. I swear Stevie still thinks I'm an eleven year old virgin. But I'm not eleven!"

"And judging by all the sexy underwear purchased today, definitely not a virgin either."

Stacey turned beet red. "I'm twenty. Do people think I'm sitting at home playing with Bratz dolls?"

"You showed me his picture. He's sexy as hell so I don't blame you one bit."

"But you know the best thing about him? We can just chill. I mean, obviously there's all the sexy stuff and the going out, but he's my friend too. Sometimes we have the most fun just doing nothing together. This is the first relationship I've been in where I feel like I'm not even trying. And he didn't know I was an Evans until after we'd first been out so I knew he likes me for _me_, not just for who I am."

"That's the best way."

"And the best part is that he makes me happy."

"You shouldn't settle for anything less than that. Your brother makes me happy too. Even with everything that's happened he still has the power to make me feel amazing and that's why I know that what we share is something special. You're young Stacey and you don't need to rush. Your man Jake sounds like a really good one so let him prove himself to you."

Stacey slurped the last of her drink loudly through her straw. "Oh I will. I definitely will!"

* * *

Mercedes was unprepared for just how disappointed she was when he period started. She knew that the chances of her being pregnant were low, and that, even though it would have been fine if it _had_ happened, the reality was that it would be far too soon in their relationship. But she still felt sad. She hadn't realized up until that point just how much she had wanted this and how ready she was for it to happen. After all her doubting she was finally ready to take the bull by the horns and it was Sam's turn to calm things down a little. He had looked sad when she told him the news but was quick to reassure her that when the time came, they would have plenty of fun making a baby brother or sister for Chey before she got too old and self-conscious. He had held her, let her cry a couple of sentimental menstrual tears then taken her to Al's for a burger and sundae. It was exactly what she needed and he readily admitted the place was a guilty pleasure of his too after being introduced to it by Puck that fateful day.

She was amazed at how easily she slipped into dating Sam. She had expected it to be complex but it was actually surprisingly easy. It helped that he was a simple man. Yes he had his moments where he felt that he needed to show off his wealth by taking her to expensive places, but mostly, he was just like her, preferring noting more than mooching at home with a movie, popcorn and cuddles. It wasn't what she expected, but she loved it. This version of Sam was a far cry from the playboy of a few years before. He still owned clubs but he didn't really go to them. This was a Sam who loved his family and whose family loved him back.

One of the things she liked the most was the way that they could talk for hours about frivolous things, but then when it came to the serious things, they would also try to hear each other out. She knew it was hard for Sam. He was used to giving commands, to clicking his fingers and having things done. Now, especially when it came to Chey, he was asking her and relying on her. Consulting her before decisions and really making them feel like they were in this together.

"What do you think of the idea of us getting a professional babysitter for Chey?" He had asked the question one night as they lay tangled in the afterglow that came from their session immediately after having put her to bed.

"A babysitter? Why?"

"To help us date. I'd like us to go out more. I want to take you places, but obviously, we can't leave Chey behind at night."

"I don't want to leave her with a stranger to put her to bed Sam."

"I know that. I'm just saying that sometimes, after she's gone to bed, maybe we can leave her with someone. I know your mom helps and so does Quinn, but it's not fair to ask them all the time. But I want to know what you think."

Mercedes thought about it. He had a point and she needed to be balanced. "I think it's a good idea. We need to spend some quality time with each other outside the bedroom and Chey's schedule means evenings are best for that, so yes. I guess we could try it."

"Really?"

"Sam, don't look so surprised. We're a team now. I'm not going to shoot down every idea you ever have just for the sake of it! I think it's a good idea for us to spend quality time together too." She lifted her head and kissed him gently, making him smile. Mercedes had always been spontaneously affectionate with Chey and he glad that it was now happening with him too.

"So have you decided what you want to do for your birthday yet?"

She shook her head. "Nope. It's usually just a meal out with the family then a meal out with friends another time. I don't do anything big. Besides, this year I'll turn 30. I'm not exactly planning on shouting it from the rooftops."

Sam poked her nose with his finger making her smile. "Thirty's not that old! I'd happily go back to being thirty all over again! Besides, I'm thinking that 30 might be the best year of your life."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because you have _me_!" He ginned spontaneously. "Or because you have love?"

"Really? Don't you think it's because _we _have love?"

He made a big show of huffing loudly. "Okay, I guess you're right. It's we."

"You guess I'm right? You _know _I'm right and you'll never challenge me."

Sam mockingly groaned. "Now you sound like your mom!"

She whacked his arm gently. "And what's wrong with my mom? I seem to remember that you think she's sexy!"

"That was you intentionally misunderstanding what I was trying to say! Your mom may be gorgeous but _you _are most definitely the sexiest woman alive!"

She grinned. "Nice save, Mr Evans, nice save."

* * *

Despite what had happened, her friendship with Holly and Stacey had never faltered. Both had made it clear that they knew Sam was in the wrong. He was their brother, but Mercedes was never going to let what happened between the two of them influence her other relationships. Just as she had with Quinn and Puck, she knew that she could make things still work and she had. Sam's forgiveness had come early and had been genuine. She wasn't immature enough to let whatever had altered their relationship affect the other ones that she had. This wasn't high school and she didn't do petty side taking.

There had been some pretty interesting conversations too. Aside from Stacey's happy reaction, there had also been Holly's. She had admitted to being on to them since Thanksgiving, and from having changed from wanting Sam to suffer for his crimes to seeing the two of them pining and wishing them back together. "I'm glad you were always able to sit down and talk to each other. And I definitely sensed a change after you came back from Kentucky."

Mercedes had to agree, and somehow found herself giving Holly the abridged version of events, focusing mainly on her conversation with Martha about moving on. Holly was also fascinated by the ring and Mercedes let her examine it. The ring was flawless but there was always one thing that had confused her. There was a small groove in top of the ring that was noticeable but only if you looked at it close up. Holly had no idea what it was and Mercedes couldn't believe it was a mistake, but didn't want to bother Sam by telling him, worried that he would kick up a fuss about the ring which was already so expensive anyway. Being an eternity ring she simply turned it so that the grooved part was on the inside of her hand a promptly forgot all about it.

The only person who had really sat her down was her mom. It wasn't an easy conversation. No conversation beginning with the line "I'm not going to ask what's going on. I know you've been having sex because I haven't seen you this relaxed since they gave you the wrong meds…"

Dionne had laid it all on the line. Mercedes expected nothing less. She also wasn't surprised that she had done the same to Sam. She could only begin to imagine how mortified he would have been when she mentioned that at least Mercedes seemed clearly satisfied with the sex. What _had _surprised her was the ease in which she had been quick to assure her mom that this was serious and she was happy. She explained the promise ring and after an initial sarcastic chuckle, the woman did start to look impressed.

"You knew about this little ambush if mom's didn't you!" Mercedes stood in front of Artie, blocking his view of the tv.

"Fo shizzle-"

"Don't-" She held up her hand, knowing that Artie was just trying to start a verbal argument to distract her from her initial question.

Artie sighed and his face told her everything. He had spent a lot of time with Sam on the one to one planning the wedding and if anyone knew how in love the man was it was him. He also knew how in love Mercedes was so it was a given. "She's expecting more rich grandbabies" were the only words she was able to force out of him that day.

* * *

"Mercedes, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." They had put Chey to bed and were snuggling on the couch in front of the TV. It had been a few weeks and Sam was a far more regular fixture at the house. She had long suspected he preferred being there to being in his own apartment and it was increasingly evident with the growing amount of 'daddy' features. The spare room had gone from being Sam's room back to actually being a spare room again, and Chey was finally learning to actually heed Mercedes' requests to knock before barging into her bedroom.

"Mercedes, I have a function to attend. It's a cocktail party with people from the fashion industry. The type of place where suppliers, designers, manufacturers and labels all meet and network. Periodically I have to show my face at these things to represent the Evans label and I was wondering if you'd come with me... as my official date."

"Official date?"

"Uh huh. As in, we get to go round holding hands, and I get to tell the guys to back off coz you're with me."

They'd talked a little before about how the fact that they were officially an item, it would mean that she would sometimes have to attend things like this as his date. She hadn't liked the idea, but knew that if she was going to be with Sam, she would have to accept and adjust to everything that came with it. There would be the occasional and business trip. This was already his life, she was simply joining what was already established. They had been out for a couple for meals and quiet dates, but this would be the first date as a couple in public eye.

"And you'll look after me and not leave me alone with random scary strangers?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "I promise. I don't want you leTheaving my side all night."

His stare filled her with confidence. "Then I'll do it."

Sam broke out into a huge smile. "This is a big step for us. I promise you won't regret it."

"I'd better not!"

He grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing the ring softly. "I've promised to I can't take it back now." He bushed his lips along the back of her hand and up her arm before moving his lips to hers and finding no resistance.

They kissed for a few moments before Sam broke it with a smile. "I just of another promise to associate with the ring."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I promise you lots and lots of _great sex_…"


	36. Dates, Doctors and Birthdays

"Wow! You look amazing!" The door to the limo had opened and a very sexy looking but slightly flustered Sam slid in beside her.

"Thanks." Mercedes was working hard to learn to accept the many compliments that Sam was constantly giving her. She was used to being self-depreciating, especially as she hadn't always been the greatest at taking care of herself, but not only was Sam saying things to make her feel good, the look of love, adoration and passion is his eyes that always accompanied the words gave her the assurance that his sentiments were always genuine.

She accepted the deep kiss that he instantly laid on her as if he hadn't seen her for months as opposed to just a few hours and felt embarrassed for Carl in the driver's seat, professionally keeping his eyes forward. Her lips were now messed up but she didn't care. She had the length of the journey to touch up again. "You're looking pretty sharp yourself!"

Sam grinned and popped his collar. "We're both in _SanLopez_ tonight. I'm glad she took on Kurt's suggestion to branch into menswear because her stuff is really wearable and extremely well cut. But I am sorry I'm so late that you had to come to me. I should have been the one picking you up tonight."

"It's no problem. It wasn't your fault that your meeting overran and I'd rather go in late with you than be on time and alone."

Due to slow moving traffic there was more than enough time to steal a few more kisses and retouch her makeup before they arrived.

It wasn't until Sam helped Mercedes out of the car that he was able to fully appreciate the dress she was wearing. It was a clever take on the classic little black dress. The asymmetric look went from the single shoulder to the hem, clinging in all the places it needed to cling and skimming over the others. Her breasts looked full and ripe and the subtle shades of black across the breasts, waist and hips gave the illusion of a siren. It definitely wasn't a dress to be worn by someone without the shape to carry it off. It was designed to show off the curves of a woman that had them and on Mercedes it was totally for put purpose. She silently thanked her Spanx for their assistance, but really it was her own natural shape that pulled it off so well.

Due to their late arrival the event had already started but there are still a few Press milling around the entrance.

"Mr Evans!" Sam immediately recognized the young reporter who had approached him and Tony Rashad about their appearance in the list of top eligible bachelors. He'd seen her at a few events since then and knew she was after the scoop on his current love life. He held tighter onto Mercedes' hand and pulled her that little bit closer.

"Sam Evans!"

Sam tried pulling them to walk faster but she was persistent." Mr Evans! Miss _Jones_! "

Finally he turned to the reporter without breaking their stride and felt Mercedes stiffen uneasily beside him. She seemed to not sense any of his annoyance as she began to speak. "This is your first official appearance together since Ms Jones performed at the Evans Foundation charity gala. Does this mean that you're serious about this relationship?"

He shot her a glare. "Deathly serious!"

The reporter didn't get the hint that he didn't want to talk. "And how would you respond to those who say you're only together because she is the mother of your child?"

Sam's already thinly stretched patience snapped. "I would say they're right!"

Mercedes gasped in shock but Sam wasn't finished. He pulled her tightly against him the same way he had when replying to Shane and didn't skip a beat as he continued. "Yes I _am_ with this gorgeous sexy woman because she's the mother of my child. But that's just one of _many_ reasons. Not only is Mercedes the mother of the child we already have, she's going to be the mother my future children. She is the love of my life, my best friend, my soul mate and my other half. She completes me and makes me great. She is what makes my heart beat and my reason for getting up in the mornings! Now if you'll excuse is we're already late!" He gently tugged at the stunned Mercedes before resuming their quick march to the entrance. After two steps he turned back to the still speechless reporter. "And make sure that you use that quote on its entirety! I will be checking tomorrow morning!"

They had nearly made it to the entrance but were stopped again just before they could get inside."Mr Evans!" This time the voice was male. Sam looked as if he was going to flip at the second interruption and the poor man looked slightly panicked. "Mr Evans, what are you and you date wearing tonight?"

The unexpected question took the wind out of Sam's sails and he smiled. Finally something that wasn't to do with his relationship. "We're both in SanLopez prototypes. She's the newest designer to join the Evans label and we're really excited about her branching out into menswear."

"Well you both look amazing."

"Thanks."

"And will you and your beautiful lady pose for a couple of pics?"

Sam eyed Mercedes who initially looked shocked before settling on a shrug. Sam's previous looks of appreciation had done wonders for her confidence and a part of her wanted to prove something. She squeezed her brow in thought and Sam decided to push a little harder. "Baby?"

She bit her lip. "Okay. Just a couple."

Sam turned to the reporter with a serious glare. "We'll agree to these pictures on the condition that you respect the privacy of Mercedes and our child from this moment forward and stay the hell away. Any breach of that will be handled through the Evans legal team, and I'm sure you'll remember how badly that fared for the last photojournalist who thought that somehow didn't apply to him!"

The reporter audibly swallowed but nodded.

"You still okay with this?" Sam looked at her carefully and she was overwhelmed by his protectiveness and the steely defiance in his eyes. She nodded and Sam grinned widely and grabbed her close as they posed for a few shots.

Everyone knew that with journalism, if you don't ask, you don't get. "And how about a kiss?"

She looked stunned at the audacity of the question but Sam was never one to waste an opportunity. Swinging her close in what could only be described as a dance move, he fleetingly caressed her cheek and stared reassuringly into her eyes before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. He tilted her slightly so that her back arched and for a moment they both forgot that they were both still on camera as the kiss deepened and took on a life of its own.

"Wow!" The reporter's voice brought them back to their senses. That kiss had just instantly tripled the value of his pictures! Mercedes was mortified at getting so carried away and even Sam's usually calm demeanor registered slightly flustered but his eyes were still only for her. "How about we just skip this shindig?"

She punched his arm lightly. "I've been working myself up for this for days Sam. Let's get it over and done with!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Mercedes simply rolled her eyes and led the way, ignoring all other shouts of their names.

There were more people than she had expected but she was relieved to see that most didn't even bat an eyelid at their entrance. Within seconds she spotted Santana and Kurt. The young designer had cleverly opted to bring him along as her plus one to model more of her menswear. Mercedes had also learned from Kurt that Brittany was a little nervous about being out in public with Santana. The fashion industry had no problem with gay couples but the fact that she was a lawyer as well as the age difference still made her anxious and Santana had not wanted to push her too much too quickly.

Kurt himself was still being impossibly smug. She had decided to handle his ultimate betrayal by breezily walking into the office the next day and asking how his dental appointment had gone, only to receive a blank expression. Worse still, he was utterly unrepentant for the situation he had created, saying he was simply paying back what he owed for cockblocking backstage at the charity gala all those moons ago. Apparently Santana refused to forgive him for undoing all the effort that that she had put into the dress which had been designed for the sole purpose of making a Sam want to rip it off.

Clearly her facial expression when she had gone in that morning make it evident to him that she'd had sex, so the only way she could wind him up was to hint that sex had happened on his desk. Kurt had laughed it off, being 99% sure that she would never do such a thing. But the 1% of residual doubt still prompted him to Clorox his desk and chair just in case. The fact that the items on his desk _had_ moved slightly due to the fact that Sam did in fact perch on his desk simply added to the wind up.

"About fucking time!" Santana greeted them both with firm hugs, completely ignoring the fashion event protocol of air kissing only. "I thought you guys were caught up in a little _echar un polvo _and forgot where you were supposed to be tonight!"

Mercedes frowned as she tried to translate with her limited Spanish. "Dust?"

Sam flushed and shook his head, leaning in close. "It's not literal. I'll explain later, I promise."

"Kurt!" Sam turned to the slender young man who looked every inch the model and had already spent most of the evening being mistaken for one because of his flawless skin. "Kurt I've never thanked you in person for all your help with, you know, what you did."

He grinned bashfully. "I didn't _do _anything. I just stayed away, thereby creating an opportunity."

"Well, Mercy and I are definitely grateful for your sneaky ways." He turned to Mercedes and winked before smiling back at Kurt. "And I just wanted to apologize in person if anything got moved or mussed up while I was on your desk…"

Kurt's eyes widened and he paled, Mercedes suppressed a giggle at Sam's wickedness and reveled in the revenge while Santana merely raised an eyebrow and mouthed the word 'wanky'.

"Anyway, I haven't got my lady a glass of champagne before we do our rounds yet and you suddenly look like you could do with one!" Sam simply turned up the charm and pretended that he hadn't just said the worst possible thing to wind him up.

Kurt simply nodded silently.

"And what about me?" Santana looked at him expectantly.

"I think you'll manage."

She frowned as if she didn't realize she already had one glass in each hand and was currently merrily drinking from both of them at the same time before glaring at him. "Fuck you! I was going to steal myself a bottle on the way out anyway!"

By the time Sam returned, Tina Cohen Chang had approached. Mercedes had met her briefly at the charity gala just before she went on stage but they had barely spoken properly. The two women were actually very curious about each other, Mercedes because Sam always spoke very highly of her and Tina, well Tina was just nosy. She had trusted Sam enough to not even bother to ask who it was that he was destroying that Berry girl for. But seeing the way that he had looked at Mercedes the night of the gala was a revelation. She had never see Sam in love, not even close to it, and she'd had the opportunity to know him more intimately than most. This Mercedes woman, on the other hand, had her friend tied up in knots and she could see why. Sam had frequently drifted towards fake women in his quest to date, but Mercedes was all realness, from her shape to the way she held herself. Sam might not know it yet, but he had done well for himself.

Air kisses and greetings aside, Tina immediately wanted to know what was what. "You smell gorgeous honey. What is it?"

Mercedes looked taken aback by the bluntness of Tina's tone but one glance at Santana confirmed that she was always like that. Apparently her bark was far worse than her bite, a fact universally shared among all except those that she had actually been bitten by. "Actually it's a combination of two complementing scents. I keep meaning to go and have my own scent made up but for now I wear a combination."

Tina nodded. "I like it. It suits you."

"Thanks. And I'm a huge fan of your work and your reality show. For once I thought the girls who won were actually the ones who deserved to win, not those with their own agenda."

"I'm glad you liked it. I don't tolerate bullshit and went through a lot of footage beforehand to make sure I wasn't being played for a fool in front of the cameras."

"Well it worked. You give women like me hope that we can be fashionable, even if we're not size zero."

Tina nodded. "Well there's enough bullshit in this industry already, I might as well use what I have to make a point which should have been made a long time ago anyway. There is no one set standard for beauty and no excuse for anyone making you feel like crap, whoever you are."

Mercedes nodded. "Well I read your autobiography and have to agree. I can't believe you put up with all that stuff from Finn Hudson."

"Yeah well he's a douche and he had it coming for a long time." Sam arrived with glasses of champagne and she took his and started drinking it without breaking her speech. "I knew I was going to cut him loose but realized that I could make the timing work for me. His shit hurt nobody but himself and being with someone so high profile suited my ends while it lasted. Believe it or not, just because I wasn't having sex with the creep didn't mean I wasn't still faithful to the marriage."

Mercedes was shocked. "So you went all those years without sex?"

"Not that difficult really. I was busy putting all my energy into my career. I knew it was the thing that I would still have long after the marriage was gone. Besides, _some_ of us found it easier to go without than others!" The older woman shot a knowing glance at Sam and for a microsecond they shared a look that slightly unnerved Mercedes, for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on.

* * *

Mercedes actually found the evening interesting and informative. Sam refused to leave her side for the whole thing so she didn't feel anxious and she was able to meet many of his work connections and put faces to names she had heard mentioned in passing before. Even though fashion was just one of the Evans' interests, Sam still spoke like an industry insider and she was fascinated by it. So many people complimented her on her dress and her singing and she enjoyed talking to a couple of the plus sized models that Tina had brought along, finding out how they had managed to get into the industry and just how amazing they thought Tina was for the inclusiveness of her model catalog. She even managed to get the number of someone who was interested in bespoke shoes that she was sure Wade would love to get in touch with.

She had expected it to be something like a scene from Ugly Betty where she was Betty surrounded by beautiful people, but the reality was that those who worked behind the scenes were not so picture perfect and those who really counted just weren't as public with their opinions as those who thought that they counted.

Sam was thrilled to have her by his side and answered questions on life and fatherhood like he was a pro. Mercedes was happy to let him have his moment. She was still new to this and was happy to quietly observe. After Kurt inhaled his glass of champagne he returned to his usual sharp witty self and moved around with them as he was also a fish out of water, being a date rather than part of the industry.

It was actually refreshing for her to see Sam like this. She knew he was a businessman but very rarely got to see it in action. Here she saw people and companies subtly make pitches and connections. She saw people who actually _had_ money as opposed to people who just talked like they did. She even saw the other side of Santana. She knew the serious non fake Spanglish side was there, but actually seeing her communicating with fellow designers, fabric producers and fashion houses made it clear that she had the mental aptitude as well as the creative talent to be a success and she was happy that Sam knew her and had snapped her up first.

Sam promised that they wouldn't stay long and he kept to that promise. By the time he started pulling her away, she was the one questioning if they had actually stayed long enough. But Sam had wanted to leave at the same time as Tina who had brought an eighteen year old breakout model from Europe who she was personally responsible for and had every intention of making sure that the girl got her beauty sleep.

They had ducked their way through the remaining exhausted paparazzi and the valet arrived with Tina's car at the same time as Carl pitched up with their limo. He didn't even need to ask where they were going. It was Friday night. From the moment they had got back together, Sam spent every weekend at the house and some of his weeknights too.

Before they knew it they were back in her room. Mercedes had kicked off her shoes and was watched as Sam smiled at her and loosened his tie. He turned to look at something in the mirror when she suddenly spoke.

"Did you ever have sex with Tina?"

Mercedes had no idea why the words just randomly flew out of her mouth, but they did, and now that they were out there they couldn't be taken back. Sam's shoulders stiffened for a second before he turned slowly towards her. He released a long slow exhale before taking both her hands in his and looking her in the eyes. If this relationship was going to go the whole way then they needed honesty. "Yes."

She frowned. "Even though she went out with your brother?"

"That was when they were in college together. This was years later. Stevie was married to Holly by then."

Mercedes said nothing and he knew that it was his signal to continue so he chose his words carefully. "It was a holiday fling. We were on a yacht with friends sailing the Bahamas. Everyone else was already hooked up so we did the same. No strings. I was a different person back then and so was she. I was a playboy and she was a model. Plus she's older than me so it was kind of flattering. But it was a short term friends with benefits thing that ended when we stepped off the yacht."

Mercedes picked at her nails. "But you're still good friends?"

"Our relationship is different now. She's a business woman who I still have a lot of time for. We're connected through work and through our past. Even Holly has no problem with her."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be friends with her Sam."

"I'm glad. Because she's already been a friend to you because of our connection-" Sam stopped himself. He had already sworn he would take the knowledge of what he did to Rachel Berry to the grave with him. He knew that Mercedes would never approve of or condone what he and Tina had done. She was far too good a person for that. But he still wasn't sorry either.

"You mean the Shane thing?"

He nodded, scared to open his mouth and say something incriminating.

"She used the influence of her company distancing themselves to change public opinion about him didn't she?"

Sam nodded. He opted not to add that she had also hired a team of investigators who had dug up the photograph of him and the underage model from someone's Facebook account. All this without any prompting from Sam himself.

"Then she sounds like a great person to have on side."

Sam felt overwhelmingly relieved. "I thought you were going to be mad!"

"Why?" Mercedes looked him straight in the eye. "I knew you had a past before I decided to be with you. I knew it and accepted it. It would be stupid of me to change my mind now. Besides, if there was anyone in this world I was going to have a problem with, it would have been Kirsten but we got on fine. If anything, she should have been the one hating on me considering you broke up with her when your feelings started to change about me."

"Phew! For a second I thought you were going to get all jealous!"

"Nope. I was more curious than jealous. If you had lied or tried to hide things I would have been upset but the fact that you're open makes things so much easier. The way you and Tina look at each other already told me that I have nothing to worry about. You don't look at her the way you look at me."

Finally Sam found it in him to grin again. "And how do I look at you?"

"As if you want to rip my panties off and have your wicked way with me."

He shrugged. "I hear no untruth there!"

She whacked him playfully. "You're really something else! You know that?"

"Yep." He planted a peck on her nose and moved the kiss to her lips, making the mood serious once again. "I love you Mercedes."

"I love you too Sam."

"And I'm never gonna get tired of saying it or hearing you say it back." He teased the tip of her tongue with his as he began to deepen the kiss while caressing her thigh making her giggle. "What's so funny?"

"Something Santana said about you earlier."

"Share?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, girl talk."

He growled. "Santana isn't a girl, she's the demon bitch from hell."

"And proudly so!" She sank into the kiss for a few moments before pulling away slightly. "So what was that thing Santana said earlier?"

"Still on Santana?" Sam's mind had already moved on to things that involved him and Mercedes no longer wearing the clothes Santana had made for them.

"In Spanish. Santana said something something _polvo_."

"_Echar un polvo_?"

"That's it! And how come I didn't know you speak Spanish?"

"That's because I don't. But because of people like Santana... okay so _mostly _because of Santana herself, I know a load of the rude stuff. _Echar un polvo _means a 'quickie'…" He gently nuzzled her neck.

"Oh… so she thought we were late because we were…"

"If only…" Sam was becoming breathless as he started to nibble at her jaw.

"But at least you said you'd explain it later. And maybe even put it into practice?"

Sam grazed his hand painfully slowly along the outside of her breast. "Not tonight baby."

"No?" She failed to contain the disappointment in her voice.

"No…" His hand reached for the hidden zipper along the side of her dress. "Because there's most definitely nothing _quick_ about what I have planned for you tonight. Santana designed this dress to make me want to fuck your brains out and that's exactly what I intend to do…"

* * *

Mercedes hated emergency rooms. She was glad to have no recollection of the day she was brought in herself, but the night she'd had to bring Chey in with stomach pain was going to stay with her forever. This time thankfully it was not for her. Chey had been playing with a couple of her friends from school when one had tripped and fallen. It was clearly only a sprain but mom was a worrier and had insisted on coming for an x-ray anyway. It was only the fact that Mercedes had insisted it would be faster to drive that had prevented an ambulance from being called.

Chey was in full caring mode fussing over her injured friend Anthony who was more concerned about the MacDonald's he was going to have on the way home than anything else. Kaya was one of the more annoying school moms who had suddenly become way too friendly when news began to filter through about just who Mercedes was in a relationship with. Luckily for her, Anthony genuinely had been one of Chey's playmates since she had joined kindergarten so she had an 'in' that the other moms didn't.

She was just playing Candy Crush on her phone while the kids played on Anthony's ipad and Kaya flicked through a magazine when her phone vibrated in her hand. She quickly excused herself to take the call.

"Hey baby!"

"Hey Sam!" His voice never failed to give her butterflies.

"Just wanted to hear your voice, miss 'nearly my birthday' Jones."

"Aaaw! How's your day going?"

"Slowly. And boring. How's yours."

"I'm bored too."

"Where are you? At home?"

"No, at the hospital."

"_Hospital!_" The alarm in his voice was clear. "Are you okay? Is it Chey?"

"Noooo! One of Chey's friends hurt his ankle and his mom's insisting on an x-ray so I offered them a ride and some company."

He heaved an audible sigh of relief. "Oh right. You had me worried there for a second. So do you think you're nearly done there?"

"I have no idea. There's a couple of people in front of us. They're not going to prioritize a child who clearly isn't in any discomfort and doesn't want to be here."

"Well you're being a good friend."

"Ha! I just offered a ride. Chey's being the good friend keeping the kid company. I'm just playing on my phone."

"I'm surprised you haven't seen Tina down at the hospital."

"Tina?"

"Apparently one of her models collapsed and started fitting and they rushed to hospital. She's probably giving the doctors hell as we speak if it's not too serious."

"I haven't seen her. But it's not as if I can just wander around the hospital anyway."

"I suppose not. I should let you go though. Don't forget I'm bringing us a late supper tonight."

She lowered her voice. "I haven't. I've bought something special to wear!"

"Looking forward to it! Love you babe."

"Love you too!"

She ended the call, and seeing everyone still sat where she had left them, she allowed her curiosity to get the better of her. Unseen by the staff she turned down a corridor and was instantly hit by the sound of a familiar voice.

"I'm not happy! I want a second opinion!" The instantly recognizable voice rang out loud as a side door suddenly flung open and Tina strode out.

"Mrs Cohen-Chang-"

A bald flustered looking doctor came flying out behind her and she shot him an icy stare. "That's _Ms _now thank you!"

"_Ms… _As I was saying, it's too early to tell-"

"Excuse me you can't be back here!" She felt a hand on her shoulder and a buxom matronly nurse was shooting her the stinkeye.

"But- but I'm with-" She knew she had be caught and didn't have a defense but anything was worth a try. "_Tina!_" She called out to the woman who instantly flicked her head, whipping the poor doctor with her hair.

"_Mercedes?_"

The nurse looked unimpressed. "I told you, you can't be here-"

"She's with me." Even though she blatantly wasn't, nobody was going to argue with the finality of Tina's tone.

The nurse unhanded her and Mercedes hesitantly walked over. "Sam said you were here and I was just around the corner in the emergency room-"

Tina put her hand out to hush her then reached out and put her arm around her waist. It was a sign of friendship for those on the outside looking at them but only Mercedes could feel her shaking. Whether the shaking was due to fear or anger was anybody's guess, but knowing Tina it was probably anger.

"We still need to discuss the treatment for-"

Tina's spine stiffened. "I'm not discussing any treatment with you. As her guardian her care is my responsibility and I refuse to settle for anything other than the best!"

"And I told you I've paged the on call neuro-"

"I don't want _any old _neuro specialist, I want the _best!_"

"Time is of the essence Ms Cohen-Chang. We need to do a lumbar puncture to see what's wrong!"

"And I want a second opinion before I put her through such a dangerous procedure before I can get hold of her parents for consent!"

The two of them glared at each other. "I know a good neurologist" said Mercedes softly.

Tina turned to her. "You do? How soon can they get here?"

The doctor glared at them both. "My duty of care is to my patient!"

"Give us thirty minutes then I'll reconsider the lumbar puncture."

The doctor didn't look happy but finally accepted Tina's terms and left them to examine another patient. "Am I wrong Mercedes? My gut is telling me she's seriously sick but something about this doctor just doesn't make me feel confident!"

"Our gut tells us things for a reason."

She still looked worried. "And is this person good?"

"I'd say Dr Mike Chang is brilliant!"

"Chang?" She huffed. "Some kind of freakish coincidence! You trust him?"

"He treated me after my accident. I completely trust him. But you have to tell me what happened."

"I don't know. She just collapsed while she was talking to me and started fitting. She she'd mentioned a headache about an hour before but had no symptoms like meningitis. And I can vouch for the fact that she's clean. There's no drugs or alcohol on my watch. Plus she has no history of epilepsy and passed a strict medical examination two weeks ago when she arrived in the States."

Mercedes scrolled through her phone. "Look, I can't make any promises but I'll make a call. I have to go back outside anyway because Chey will wonder where I've got to."

Everyone was just as she had left them and her call had caught Mike Chang at the door of his car as he was heading home from his clinic. His initial reluctance was soon overcome with the promise of a high profile client and a medically interesting case and he promised to be there within fifteen minutes.

Kaya promised to let her know if anything happened so that she could go back to Tina and her beautiful young model who had the wildest looking curly copper hair she had ever seen.

Mike made it in twelve minutes. Tina took one look at him and shook her head. "No way Mercedes! You have to be shitting me!"

Mercedes could understand the reaction. Mike Chang looked nothing like a doctor. He was wearing baggy jeans, white tank, yellow hoodie and topped the outfit with a lime green baseball cap on backwards. He looked young at the best of times and now he looked about twelve. "I'm sorry for the unorthodox attire but I have a Street Dance crew that I dance with on a Wednesday night and I'd got changed at my office to go straight there. Mercedes promised me this would be worth the detour..."

Tina's voice was vicious. "So what is it? Did your daddy say he'd only pay for college if you went to medical school?" It was clear to Mercedes that the woman was predisposed not to like him and she could see it all going horribly wrong and Sam choosing his longstanding friendship with the extremely difficult Tina over his relationship with her…

Mike stiffened and glared back at her. "Maybe he did. But maybe I enjoy the challenge of medicine and maybe I'm just damned good at what I do!"

She could tell that Tina was taken aback by the fact that Mike had stood up to her and she silently cheered him on. Nobody deserved to take that kind of rudeness. "You're only here because I trusted Mercedes."

"And I'm only here because Mercedes is a hell of a lot nicer than you!"

"Touché!" Tina didn't even look offended at that statement.

"So are you going to back off while I examine the patient and take a history?"

"As long as you don't start patronizing me by trying to explain medical terms in Mandarin."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't worry. I'm more than capable of patronizing you in fluent Spanish or French if you'd rather I did it that way!"

Mercedes would have loved to have stayed for the banter but she really really sensed the need to get out of the room as soon as possible. Some sort of electricity was flying and she wasn't sure if it was the good kind or not.

Tina flicked her hair. "So are you going to examine her or not?"

Doctor and businesswoman stared hard at each other for several moments before Mike removed his cap and hoodie to reveal a toned muscular body in the tank that rendered both women momentarily speechless but even that wasn't enough to keep Mercedes in the line of crossfire. As Mike made his way to the basin to wash his hands for the examination she made her hasty exit, genuinely concerned that she was abandoning those that she had come with. She timed it perfectly as she made it out to the waiting room just as Anthony was being dealt with before driving them all to McDonald's on the way home.

She received a call from Tina just after putting Chey to bed. She had got her number from Sam and was calling to thank her for referring Mike. Her gut instinct had been correct. The first doctor hadn't listened to her but he had, picking up on a random detail which the first doctor hadn't, the fact that she'd had a toothache, but being afraid of doctors had just taken painkillers and ignored it. Mike's initial diagnosis of a brain abscess, secondary to dental infection vindicated her gut feeling to not do a lumbar puncture which would have been contraindicated. They were still going to have to wait overnight but she had been started on IV antibiotics and referred to the hospital dentists, and depending on the results of the CT scan, Mike would return the next day on his afternoon off to aspirate the abscess himself. His twice weekly sessions at the hospital meant that he was free to use the facilities to treat anyone who was an inpatient there.

Mercedes tried to ask if Tina had improved her opinion of Mike as a person but she refused to be drawn into the conversation and ended the call. She was disappointed because she had found Mike so pleasant and if he wasn't at least a decade younger than Tina there could have been some serious sexual chemistry there. She had no way of knowing that now visiting time was over, Mike had missed his Street Dance session and was currently perched directly behind Tina on her bed, wearing nothing but a seriously tented pair of boxers and a smile, nibbling the side of her neck and urging her end the call as quickly as possible to find out if there was any truth in what he'd heard about the insatiableness of cougars in bed.

Tina was equally looking forward to ending her dry spell that had begun with her marriage to Finn. It was a fine line between love and hate and Mercedes had missed the point in one of the empty offices when an angry spontaneous sexually charged kiss mid argument had blurred the line completely for them.

* * *

"Happy birthday Mercedes!"

"Is it?" She was still seeing stars. This time last year she was being woken up with birthday wishes but was depressed beyond belief. This year she was starting the day with an orgasm that Sam seemed to manage to make last forever. Whoever said turning thirty was a drag clearly hadn't been given the right kind of birthday wakeup call!

"Yep. And you have a big day! Sadly I have to go to work which is a shame because I'd much rather stay here with you."

"Not possible." She removed the hand that had started kneading her breast before she lost control again. "I can guarantee that today is the day that Chey will be so excited that she forgets to knock, and I don't want to traumatize her!"

Sam groaned and rested his forehead against hers briefly before rolling on his back. "It's not fair! I want you to myself today."

"Life's not fair Sam. Plus I have friends that were in my life way before you sandblasted your way in."

He grunted before turning and grinning at her. "But I have you tomorrow."

"You have me all day tomorrow."

"And all tomorrow night…"

"And all tomorrow night."

"And all the next day…"

"Enough Sam! You need to get going!"

"Grrrr… If you say so!" He slowly rolled his way out of bed and headed into the bathroom. By the time he came out fully dressed, Chey was jumping all over the bed and Mercedes was thanking her profusely for the heavily glittered card and the picture of 'mommy' made out of dried pasta covered in copious amounts of brown paint.

By the time she disappeared it was time for him to go. "You enjoy your day!"

"I will!" She, Quinn and Holly were going for a champagne pamper spa day to be followed by dinner with friends and family in the evening.

"I still don't see why you're inviting single men along."

She rolled her eyes. "We've been through this before! George is a friend who happens to be male and single. I don't begrudge your friendship with Tina, even though you have sexual history. George and I…" She paused, remembering that they actually _did_ have history.

"You and George what?"

"Actually we technically _did_ go on a couple of dates…"

"Wait! You dated?"

"It was just three dates and the third was where we mutually decided we were nothing more than friends. I was actually coming back from that third date when you first cornered me about Chey!"

"Really? Okay so maybe he shouldn't come…"

"Don't be jealous Sam. He's been nothing but a good friend to me, especially when the whole Moe thing kicked off. You should be glad that I had his support while you were in Europe. I'm glad that you'll actually get to meet him tonight in person."

As it turned out, Sam did get on with him. Mercedes' traditional small birthday dinner out was the largest it had ever been with Dionne and Artie, Quinn and Puck, Stevie and Holly, plus the extra additions of George, Wade and Quinn's cousin Lucy who was visiting and who Mercedes knew from before she left New York. They laughed, they ate too much, drank nearly too much and had an amazing time.

* * *

Mercedes hadn't wanted to get out of bed the next morning but she had to. Chey was being picked up from school and spending the night at her mom's so she wanted to make sure she was ready and spend the early preschool morning with her. Climbing back into bed with Sam afterwards was a pure delight.

"So are you going to tell me what this gift that I had to wait a whole extra day for is going to be?"

He smiled and shook his head. "You'll have to wait and see."

And she did see. As they approached the helipad she frowned at him. "Please don't tell me we're going up in _that?_"

"I could tell you we're not going up in that, but that would involve lying and I wouldn't want to do that to you."

"Sam, I've always wanted to do a helicopter ride!"

"Well today's your lucky day!" He led her by the hand to the open door and the pilot helped them climb in and explained the safety procedures to Mercedes. Then they took off on a twenty minute tour of the New York skyline. Mercedes had lived there all her life but there was nothing that could prepare her for seeing her city from above, especially on such a gloriously clear day.

Sam smiled and eagerly pointed things out and spouted random amusing facts to make her laugh. Then they headed away from the city. The hour long ride felt much faster because of the amazing views, especially over wooded areas, but they eventually landed in a clearing that appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere special." She went to take her bag but Sam told her to leave it, reaching behind and grabbing a picnic hamper. "All we need is this."

Taking her by the hand he let her through a short small path through the woods and which suddenly cleared to reveal a beautiful lake. She gasped at the beautiful tranquil scenery. "It's so beautiful here."

"I know. It's private land and completely untouched. Luckily I happen to be on good terms with the owner and I'm hoping we can one day come to some sort of arrangement for this place, but for today it's exclusively for our enjoyment." He chose a soft patch of grass by the shore of the lake and laid out a blanket from the hamper. "I'd love to be able to say I made all of this stuff…" He pretended to be taken aback when she giggled, "but there is a theme going with it so pay attention."

The basket opened to reveal a freshly baked baguette, French cheeses, hams, pates, grapes and caviar. There were also sweet pastries and champagne together with flutes which they clinked together. "Bon appetit madame."

"Bon appetit monsieur!"

While they ate Sam pulled out a small box. It was slightly too big to be a ring box and she looked at him with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Happy belated birthday. Open and see."

She unwrapped the box and opened it to reveal two chains and three beautiful stones in platinum settings.

"They're charms" Sam explained, "these are our birthstones for you me and Chey. As our little family grows we can add more stones. And the two sizes of chain are so you can decide if you want to wear them in bracelet or necklace form. It's totally up to your mood because they're all designed to fit together."

"This is beautiful Sam." She leaned over and kissed him softly. "It's so thoughtful and yet so unsubtle in your hint at having more children!"

He laughed. "You got me! But even if it's just the three of us, I wanted something to represent us as a unit."

"I adore it Sam. Thank you." She immediately took the charms and the small chain and he helped her to put them on her wrist.

"So how are you enjoying today?"

"It's been amazing!" She rubbed her belly and lay back on the blanket. "I could just go to sleep right here."

"Well you can't!"

She eyed him. "Why not?"

"Two reasons. Firstly I might be tempted to have my wicked way with you while there's nobody around, and secondly, there's somewhere else we have to be so we'd better get moving!"

"Somewhere else? But I like it here!"

"And you'll like this too so get moving!"

She reluctantly helped him to pack the basket back together and he again led her by the hand, this time a little further around the lake. Then she saw it, a small pier with a little rowboat tied to it. The back of the boat was filled with blankets and cushions, perfect for relaxing on. "You can have you snooze on here" Sam said as he helped her aboard before taking the oars.

Once on the lake he stopped rowing and carefully maneuvered himself to lie down on the cushions next to her with his arm over her shoulders pulling her close. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes. This is perfect. Nothing too extravagant. Just Sam. I like it like this."

He said nothing, biting his lip and hoping that she would enjoy the final part of her surprise. As the afternoon drew on he resumed rowing and suddenly grand house came into view. It was modeled just like a small French Chateau.

Mercedes gasped. "Sam, where is this?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess that's where they dumped our overnight bags…"

The building was beautiful, shaped like a small castle on the lake front with great attention to detail. "I wanted to take you to Europe but we can't leave Chey for that long so I made some calls and did the next best thing. Just imagine you're in France, and next time I promise it'll be the real thing."

Sam tied the rowboat up to the small pier and helped her up before walking towards the entrance to the chateau. Leading them to the front door he knocked on the huge heavy knocker and Mercedes was surprised to see it opened by a woman in full maid uniform. "Bonjour Monsieur Evans et Madame Jones. Welcome to Chateau-Bord-Du-Lac. I am Annette. Let me escort you to your rooms."

She turned and they followed her through a huge hallway and up a grand staircase. At the top she turned right and led them down the corridor. She passed several doors before opening one heavy door to reveal a very traditional looking room with a huge tall four poster bed in the center. "I hope the master room is to your liking?"

_Liking? The master room was nearly as large as the whole upstairs of her house combined!_

"Yes. Thank you!"

"_Bon._ This whole floor of the chateau up to the staircase is for your own personal use. Your bags have already been unpacked for you. If you need anything else, just ring."

Then she disappeared.

Mercedes stared around her in disbelief. "Sam, this is-"

"This is your treat Mercedes. Enjoy it! It's just a shame we only have one night."

"I'm calling mom and making it two nights!" She disappeared into the maze of rooms and her excited shriek found her in one of the bathrooms. "It has feet and everything!" He followed her stare to the stand alone cast iron bath.

She turned to him. "Sam I have to-"

He simply smiled. "By all means. And once you've had your bath, I've laid out something special on the bed for you to wear."

Although the bath was a standalone it was fully plumbed and Mercedes enjoyed soaking to her neck in the deep water. By the time she was lotioned and wrapped in a fluffy towel, Sam was nowhere to be seen but there was a long dress box on the bed and a note in Sam's scrawled handwriting.

**_Please do me the honor of wearing this and meeting me for dinner on the balcony at 18.30_**

Underneath the writing was a small map of how to get to the desired location.

She looked at the time. It was already nearly 18.10 so she didn't have much time to lose. Ripping the huge bow from the box she removed the lid to reveal the most beautiful pale yellow regency style dress she had ever seen. It was pure silk with a square neckline, small capped sleeves empire bust with yellow velvet ribbon underneath the bustline and fell in beautiful layers to the floor. Ordinarily a dress like that would never have been worn with heels, but there were a pair of matching Christian Loubitin's ready to go next to the dress.

Mercedes squealed excitedly and ran to the mirror, holding the dress up in front of her. There was no way her bust would fit into an empire shaped top like that but she gave Sam points for trying. Despite herself she unzipped it to give it a little try on and to her amazement it fitted! Sam had to have had help and seeing as it was clearly made to measure, she knew exactly which fiery Latina had stepped up to the plate yet again. Initially it was too long, but with the shoes it was perfectly floorlength. She twirled in front of the mirror feeling like a character in one of her favorite Jane Austen novels, until she realized the time. With minutes to spare she pinned her hair into a loosely cascading updo and applied very light makeup and gloss instead of lipstick and grabbed the matching wrap before heading to the balcony.

He was already there, staring at the view of the sun setting over the lake, a suit outlining his toned shape perfectly.

"Sam I-"

He turned and one look had love and desire written all over his face. "You're so beautiful Mercedes." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him before kissing her thoroughly, completely removing her lip gloss and making her forget every single word that she was going to say.

Eventually he pulled back. "Damn! I have to stop now, otherwise I'll be eating you on this balcony and not the meal!"

He pulled out a seat for her and rang the bell for the Maitre'd. It was the perfect date with the wine, the company, the conversation and the five courses of exquisite French fine dining. Even though they were technically still within New York State, Mercedes still felt as though she were thousands of miles and an ocean away. It was a perfect gift from Sam and it was also perfectly Sam.

And as they walked back hand in hand to the master suite, she asked Sam why they needed so many rooms. His reply was simple. "So that for once we don't have to be careful to be quiet in the bedroom!"

She didn't bother asking what the reason for the four poster bed was, but she sure as hell enjoyed finding out…

* * *

**_Sam's jewelry gift was inspired by all the people who thought that the ring he gave her was a mother's ring. I'd never heard of it and loved the concept so I wanted to stick it in somewhere so thanks!_**


	37. Everything Changes

"We're doing a special dinner tomorrow. I already invited you to join us all didn't I?" Holly sat heavily onto the chair and sighed as a loudly fussing Jack wriggled out of her arms for the umpteenth time so that he could make his way uncertainly around the floor.

Mercedes raised her eyebrow. "No you didn't. But if it's a proper thing I can get a sitter and come."

"Or you can just bring Chey and stay over. Sam's coming too."

"Really? He didn't say anything to me when I saw him yesterday."

Holly sighed again. "That's because Stevie was supposed to tell him a couple of days ago but they got distracted discussing something else and I guess they forgot. Besides, we want you there too. It's important. Plus Stacey's coming up for the weekend."

"This sounds like a proper family reunion. Are you sure you want me there?"

Holly simply shot her a _what do YOU think_ expression and Mercedes smiled. "Well there's no special events happening that I know of so maybe you're breaking some news. The last dinner like this was with Stacy's boo Jake. Please don't tell me this is because she's coming up to break some news!"

Holly just gave a small smile and shook her head. "Stevie would kill her if that happened before she finished Yale. Can't we just all have a nice meal together?"

"Yes we can! But…" Mercedes looked hard at the pale tired face of her friend. She'd just gotten over a bug which had hung around for a while. Thankfully the boys hadn't caught it and Stevie had been taking some extra time to help out with the boys.

Suddenly things clicked into place. It was a big guess but she'd had the theory for a little while now. "Maybe Stacey's not the one with the news…"

She looked hard at Holly who blushed and squirmed uncomfortably. "Holly I'm just going to ask outright and you can tell me to rack off it you want me to but are you pregnant again?"

Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. "I knew I wouldn't be able to hide it from you! You're going to have to look surprised along with everyone else tomorrow when we tell Sam and Stacey because Stevie will be mad if you don't all find out at the same time."

"Holly that's amazing!" Mercedes went over to her and squeezed her tightly. It explained a lot. Holly had looked really pale and tired recently, she'd blamed it on a mysterious 'virus' but it hadn't been enough to stop Mercedes' senses from going off. It was just something that she couldn't exactly ask about. She pulled back and looked at the smiling Holly. "And I'll put on an Oscar worthy performance tomorrow. You _are_ happy aren't you?"

"Of course! The boys were amazing miracle! This- I can't even describe what this is but it's like my body is trying to make up for lost time!"

"And are you taking care of yourself?"

"Of course! My obgyn is on speed dial and at least this time I have some actual concept of what to expect."

"And are you going to be okay?"

She nodded. "I think so. Apparently having carried the boys successfully to term has actually made the chances of everything going well this time so much better. I still have to be careful and be observant but the risks are not much higher than for any other woman going through pregnancy at my age."

"That's good to know." Mercedes sat back, stunned. "I just can't believe it! You try for years with nothing happening then suddenly… I mean the boys are barely seven months old-"

Holly's blush deepened. "I know."

"I mean, how the hell did it happen? I mean, well I don't mean _how, _but-"

Holly grinned shyly and bit her lip. "Come on Mercedes, you of all people know what the Evans men are like when they're on heat." _Damn right she did! _"And Stevie, well he _really_ likes my fuller figure since I had the twins. I actually have hips for the first time in my life and although my boobs will never rival yours, they're the biggest they've ever been and didn't go down after pregnancy. Now that I've worked of my baby belly, I really like my new shape. I can't believe I had my post baby body meltdown."

"Hey, we all do. At least you didn't do what I did which was to keep on eating because you didn't like to see what was in the mirror."

"Not after you referred taskmaster Blaine to me! He was really something else!"

"I know. I kind of miss him getting me up stupidly early in the morning. Thankfully I have my own gym discipline now. But we're talking about _you_ Holly! When are you due?"

"February . We're telling everyone earlier than we did with the twins. But it still won't be public knowledge for a while yet."

"That makes sense. How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted. And with the boys starting to crawl now… I hate to say this but I think I'm going to need help. They're already getting heavy and pretty soon the combination with the pregnancy will mean I won't be able to pick them up."

"There's no shame on admitting that you need help Holly. Nobody expects you to do this on your own."

"I know that. It's just I never thought I would be one of those mothers who pushes out kids then pays for someone else to do all the hard work."

Mercedes' tone was reassuring. "Nobody will think that of you. You're a very hands on mother and have been since the day the boys arrived. But they're active now. They'll be walking and running before you know it and there's no way you're going to be rushing after them in your condition!"

"I know. I just wish that I could do everything."

"You're not superwoman, and no one's expecting you to be. Just enjoy your motherhood."

Holly still looked unconvinced. "I just don't know how I feel about someone in my house looking after my kids. I'm not comfortable with everyone."

"So start now. Talk to Stevie, agree on what you're looking for then get started. Do all the worrying now while you still have the energy. Find someone you like and get used to each other before you get too big and distracted."

Holly nodded. "You speak sense!"

"Damn straight I do!"

* * *

A few months made a big difference, and while a now blossoming Holly was sat with Arvin, her tiny Filipino 'Manny' who was a walking miracle in that not only was he fully trained in childcare, he previously to that had been a nurse and was on hand to monitor the pregnancy, Puck and Sam managed to steal a rare few hours together and headed straight for Sam's games room.

He kept his eyes firmly trained on the screen as he spoke. "Do you ever sometimes sit and worry everything's going so well with your relationship that something's going to come along and ruin it?"

"Every day man. Every day." Puck reached over into the cooler and grabbed two fresh cans of beer, handing the first to Sam and opening the second before he was even completely upright again. It had been far too long since they'd had a boy's night in the games room at Sam's much neglected apartment and he planned to make the most of it.

"It's like, everything's _too _good, and there's something really important that I've forgotten which is going to come up and ruin everything."

"Like a crazy ex?"

"Yeah. Something like that. But I think I shut them all down pretty tight." Sam reached into the bowl of chips and crunched thoughtfully for a second. "But seriously. Things are amazing. And being part of this unit- I can't describe how it makes me feel. It's like nothing else is important."

"Careful Sam, you're beginning to sound obsessed."

"I know. But I'm not. It's just that having lost her once before, I don't think I could survive if it happened again. Chey would always be there, but to imagine no longer having the love of Mercedes…" His voice faded as his thoughts turned darker.

"Hey. You're preaching to the converted here. You forget that I nearly screwed things up with Quinn before they even began. If it wasn't for Mercedes hearing me out I would have the beautiful girl that's with me today. She's perfect for me. And even Beth loves her to bits!"

"And you can never underestimate the power of that. Being around Mercedes and Chey has taught me that."

Puck stretched his legs a little. "So I guess I owe having my beautiful girl to your beautiful girl. Especially as they're best friends."

"Exactly. Be thankful every day!"

"Hey I am! Man I'd kiss her if you'd let me!"

Sam met him with a side eye. "I'm _not _letting you."

"I know man. I'm just sayin."

"Good. Because I don't know how I'm going to survive this stupid five day conference in Vegas. Five days without her kisses. That's longer than a lifetime."

"You're whipped Sam!"

"You know what? I don't even care! Did I tell you she gave me a set of keys to the house at the weekend."

Puck's eyebrows hit the roof. "Keys? Like as is _moving in_ keys?"

"Not moving in. Just so that when I come to stay I can let myself in. I can't live there."

"Why not? It's your perfect house."

"I know. But I'm a millionaire. I can't exactly make that my main home. It's not secure. It's not, _enough._"

"So get her to move into here with you."

"And what would happen about Chey and school?"

"Just move her."

"You don't just move kids Puck! You know that! These things are more complicated than they seem. And this place, it's not exactly a family home!"

"So where will you live?"

"I don't know."

"So have the conversation man!"

"I will. When it comes up. I don't want to rush her."

"But you want to be with her right?"

"Every second of every day."

"So talk to her. Don't try and read her mind because you're guaranteed to get it wrong. A woman's mind is not logical and linear. It's all 'wibbly wobbly timey wimey'. The only way you can get things right is if you ask ahead of time. You guys need to _talk._"

"And since when are you, Noah Puckerman, the giver of experienced wise sage relationship advice?"

His friend grinned. "Since last night when I asked Quinn to move in with me and she said yes!"

Sam choked on his been. "Woah! Back up! Did you just say Quinn's moving in?"

"Yep."

"Shit Puck. You're growing up! Congratulations man!"

A cheer went up on the screen and they both looked to see who had scored as the game had been forgotten in the moment. Puck shook his head. "I can't believe we missed that! It's bad enough that due to relationship commitments our sport watching has been relegated from the weekend to midweek, but now we're sat here like pussies debating relationships instead of actually watching the game."

Sam laughed. "And you've got a girl moving all her pretty smelly soaps into your house. Face it, your days of the 'love em and leave em' Puckasaurus have long gone. You're whipped."

He opened his mouth to argue and found he couldn't. Worse still, he didn't actually mind too much the way that things were working out. But he wasn't the only one. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Shit Sam. We are _both_ whipped!"

* * *

"He asked you to move in with him?"

Quinn just smiled and nodded.

"So what did you say?" Mercedes' burger was forgotten on Al's formica table as she waited with baited breath to find out what her friend had said.

Quinn just smiled and nodded into her salad.

"Q that's great! I can't believe it! Especially after you of all people said – and I quote- 'I am _so _over men. They're okay to fill a need when I'm horny but I'm not here for any of that moving in and marriage commitment shit'."

Quinn blushed. "Yeah well that what back when I was still bitter. Noah's changed all that for me now. I never thought I would say this but I can really see myself settling with him." Her friend's delicately arched eyebrow caused her to quickly qualify that statement. "I mean, I'm still weary of commitment and being tied down now that I'm enjoying my life, but there's something, I don't know, it just didn't seem so scary when he mentioned it."

"I can't believe how well things are going with him."

"Neither can I! Last Saturday when Beth came, I got to meet his ex and her new husband too."

"What's she like?"

Quinn grinned. "Seems flakey. I doubt that marriage is going to last. He's old and rich but that kind of appeal only lasts so long."

"But the fact that he's introducing her, together with the fact that you're part of Beth's life now…"

"I know. It was only for five minutes but it's pretty big. I think I passed with flying colors. Not that she has any say over his relationships anyway."

"I know. But you don't want to be _that_ woman when it comes to their child."

"Exactly. I'm really thrilled for you Quinn."

"Thanks. And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Sam? Progress. You were going to give him a key."

"And I did."

"And what he say?"

"Thanks."

"Huh?"

"He said 'thanks' and he put it in his pocket."

"Well what were you expecting to happen?"

"I don't know."

"You already qualified the key by saying it was so that he could let himself in when he came over to visit. The emphasis was still on _visit. _This changes nothing."

"I know. But I was hoping… I don't know. Maybe I was hoping it would open up a conversation about what's happening with us."

"I thought things were going good with you?"

"They are, it's just…"

Quinn looked at her with a concerned expression. "What's going on Mercedes?"

She shook her head. "I'm just being silly."

"No you're not. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong! That's the problem!"

"Huh?" Quinn's confusion was written all over her face. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I. Things are good. Almost too good. It's been seven months now andI keep expecting for things to spectacularly crumble. I feel like this is all a dream and I'm going to wake up one day and everyone will be laughing at me."

"Cedes, the only one laughing is you. You've landed one of the hottest sexiest men on the planet. And if his words describing how he feels about you aren't enough, the whole world has seen those pictures taken of you that night of your first official appearance together. Not only was that kiss hot, the way that he was staring at you just before he kissed you made didn't leave a dry set of panties anywhere. He's going to be making you pregnant over and over, and that's just with his eyes!"

Mercedes smiled weakly. "That's just it. He _says_ he wants this whole family thing, he _says_ he wants babies, but we've never really talked about it. We haven't said _when _and with the exception of one time we always use condoms. Do you think something's holding him back?"

Quinn chewed thoughtfully. "Have you asked him?"

"No I-"

"Coz he seems pretty damn sure about you to me. And have you thought about what happens if you do get pregnant right now? Are you going to stay in that house? Will you move into his apartment-"

"His place isn't designed for kids-"

"Will you find somewhere completely new? How many do you want? What time frame? How does Chey feel?"

"I don't know, I-"

"Cedes. This is all getting very real. Everyone can see just how in love you guys are and you need to plan out where you want to go from here. You love him so just talk to him. He loves you too. It shouldn't be scary. Don't waste any time, do it tonight!"

"I can't. He flew out to Vegas for a five day conference this morning."

"So do it when he gets back! You guys are already such a lovely family and it will all work out. You're just nervous because you're rusty at the whole relationship thing."

"I hope so."

Quinn placed a hand over hers. "I _know _so."

* * *

Mercedes was horny. There was no other word for it. Just before Sam had left she had been on her period which probably contributed towards her general flakiness with Quinn about their relationship s well as lengthening the amount of time she had gone without. Then there was the fact that whenever they spoke on the phone, he was explicit in telling her exactly what he was going to do to her when he got back. It was distracting, she was supposed to be working herself up to the sorely needed relationship conversation they had to have, but all that was happening was that she was getting worked up. Period.

Lingerie shopping didn't help. But she wanted something nice for when he got back. Vegas was full of showgirls. The least she could do was look decent in comparison. Plus she missed him so badly outside of a sexual sense. They didn't' see each other every single day and had their own separate homes, but there was something about the enforced distance that was making things harder. Sam was so tied up in her insides that she was struggling to let him go. If it was his multi month trip to Europe all over again there was no way she would have been able to handle it.

Even Chey could tell the difference between daddy being at home and daddy being 'away'. She wondered how families coped where the men worked away from home for 5 days a week and only came home for the weekends.

Of course Kurt knew exactly what was going on. Every time her phone buzzed he would look up at her and tell her to "Stop sexting Sam!"

The joke wore thin pretty quickly and was even harder to swallow when the occasional message was a sext. And how the hell was she supposed to keep a straight face when she stole a glance to her phone while talking to him, only to read:

**I'm so frustrated that when I get back I won't just going to fuck you through the mattress. I'll fuck you through the bed frame, the floor and into the dining room underneath**

With his clean suited image, Sam was definitely a 'gentleman in the street but a freak in the bed'. How she hadn't got pregnant despite the condoms was beyond her but the greater part of her thoughts at that moment were spent snatching the phone out of Kurt's reach because if he read that message she would never be able to step foot in that office again!

The five days inched by slower and slower until the day of his arrival. She tracked his flight online and by the time it landed, Chey was in bed and she was in her lingerie nervously sipping red wine.

The first text simply said:

**Carl's just collected me. We'll be about twenty five minutes.**

Ten minutes later:

**I can almost taste you pussy**

Another ten minutes:

**I'm so hard I can open this door with no hands!**

Another five:

**Just pulling up. Take off your panties and open your legs!**

Mercedes wanted to be indignant and insulted by the message but all that happened was a weakening of her knees and a flooding of her panties. She propped herself up on top of her covers as she listened to the sound of him let himself in, leaving his luggage by the door as he took the stairs two by tow. He made his customary brief pause to look in on Chey and then there he was in her doorway, jacket off and shirt already halfway unbuttoned.

"Hey!" She tried to style it out but it was no use. His eyes were black with desire and she couldn't speak. Neither could he but it didn't matter because all his words were in his eyes. He loved her. He missed her. He wanted her.

He opened his mouth and all that came out was a deep growl. Two quick strides and he was right there. But rather than collapsing on top of her as she expected he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Sam! What are you doing!"

Without a word he carried her into the guest bedroom and threw her unceremoniously onto the bed before diving on top of her. "Mercedes I've missed you so much you don't even know it."

"Sam why are we in here?"

"Because I can't guarantee we'll be able to keep the noise down while I show you how much I love you, how much I've missed you and how much I appreciate this fine piece of silky sexiness that I know I'm going to have to replace when I've finished destroying it."

Those Evans men when they're on heat…

It wasn't fair. Sam Evans wasn't fair. It wasn't fair how handsome he looked and how her body hummed at his touch. It wasn't fair how his kisses smashed against her lips and stole her breath and it wasn't fair how her breasts responded to his harsh fingertips. It wasn't fair that her back arched as his hand traced its way down from her breast to her belly before disappearing into her sodden panties. It wasn't fair, the casual way that he lay on his side next to her, his hand teasing her clit causing her spine to arch in pleasure while his mouth kissed her jaw and nibbled at her earlobe. It wasn't fair how he plunged his fingers inside her as he whispered in minute detail, what he had spent the last five days fantasizing that he was going to do to her the moment he got back.

It wasn't fair on him either, the sweet sounds that came out of her mouth as he teased her insides. The soft mewling responses to the promises of pleasure that were to come. He raised his head and looked down at his work, her body a curved instrument, arching higher and higher off the bed as he played it delicately with his fingers. Her eyes couldn't focus, her mouth couldn't speak. Everything was about what he was doing to her and what her was preparing her body for. The little bundle of nerves was lubricated with her cream and slipping under his thumb as he worked her. He knew her body now, what she liked and how she responded. He knew how to take her to the brink but stop before she went crashing over it. He knew how hard he could go, and how hard was that little bit too hard. He knew that she loved to be stretched inside, but that her clit needed to be treated with delicacy and respect.

He knew all of this and he applied that knowledge. He applied that knowledge to pull orgasm after orgasm from her. He applied that knowledge when he hit that special spot that made her go loud and then quiet again both with his fingers and with his cock. All he had to do was focus on giving her pleasure, because in giving her pleasure it automatically gave him his own. He applied that knowledge when he tested the tensile strength of the mattress against repeated impact. They had no place they needed to be during the next day and was sure that Chey would have no problems climbing into bed with them to watch a dvd or three so there was no rush of conservation of energy.

They made use of the space, the length and breadth of the bed as well as the headboard. They worked their way through the samples of warming gel and tingling gel that Sam had picked up on his travels. They explored each other's bodies as if it was the first time. Sam's hips worked like pistons taking her breath away, the only reason why she didn't end up screaming. Her tightness welcomed him and the feel of slipping into her hot wetness made him want to weep. At times they lay perfectly still with him buried inside her, connected as one and loathe to separate, her insides stimulating him without any physical effort whatsoever. Their names were chanted over and over like a mantra and the wisdom of switching rooms became apparent.

Finally after what felt like both hours and yet only a few seconds it was over. All that remained was the collection of used condoms, heavy breathing, skin reddened from increased blood flow, slaps, bites and scratches, slick and salty with sweat. Hair was damp and matted to skin and the only sound was the synchronized heartbeats of two chests pressed together. Sam stared at her as she slipped into an exhausted sleep before cradling her tighter in his arms. He knew what he was going to do. It was already all set. He knew that it was a giant risk, but one he was more than willing to take. A gamble that, if the dividends paid off, would multiply his wealth to the ultimate degree. Financial wealth was good but it wasn't the only thing of value in his life.

* * *

"Where exactly are we going for dinner?"

"You'll see soon enough."

Mercedes seemed anxious. She had been fine all day. Well, in the morning she had been sleepy before taking a soak in the hot bath that he had run for her for her 'soreness'. They hadn't really had much time to chat during the day. Chey had joined them on the bed for DVDs and lunch was takeaway pizza. Not as good as Stevie's but still high quality genuinely stonebaked.

Their day had been centered around Chey and she had reveled being the center of attention. It made Sam yearn for the day when they would be adding little brothers and sisters to the mix, and he hoped that Mercedes felt the same way. Somehow, although he had used every opportunity to say that he was looking forward to having more children with her, it had never actually come up in serious conversation as to how they were going to handle it when it finally happened. Sam was tired of all the condoms, but for now they were a necessary evil.

And now they were in the car being whisked off to the dinner that he had planned for them. She had asked over and over where they were going, and all he would tell her was that they were going to eat at a place with the most amazing view of New York. It was a gamble. Sam liked to take risks but this one was making him nervous. He wasn't sure how she was going to react and if it went as badly as is potentially could, he did have a plan B lined up. Not as spectacular as plan A, but something to fall back on while trying to retain some semblance of slickness.

It worried him that Mercedes didn't seem to be 100% with him. Something seemed to be troubling her mind and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to ask her about it or wait for her to spill without being pushed. Whatever it was, he hoped that it wasn't going to be anything that could have a bearing on what he was planning to do tonight.

As the car stopped outside the tall building, Mercedes had no clue where they were. He led her by the hand, and it was only when they reached the entrance that it started to dawn on her where they actually were.

"Sam, is this where I think it is?"

"I did promise you an amazing view of New York didn't I?"

"Yes. But that was from…" She fell silent as they entered the elevator. It was a different one to the one that had been there years ago. More plush with better lighting and mirrors. He felt her tense when the doors pinged open and he led her to the fire escape for the last few steps up onto the roof. Once there, it was the same place, but different. There was still the nightclub and restaurant downstairs, but it was aimed at a very different clientele. Sam had sold the building and club a couple of years before, but enough of the staff had stayed on for him to be able to call in some favors.

As they stepped out onto the roof it was clear just how much had changed. It was now no longer bare, there was a proper roof terrace complete with sun loungers which clearly saw use during the daytime. Near Sam's favorite spot was a small marquee with a table for two set up inside. The transformation was amazing. The first thing Mercedes did was step over to look out at the view. Things looked different when it wasn't yet completely pitch black, and the New York skyline had also changed slightly.

Sam led her look at the view and both of them averted their eyes from the little patch of wall where their quickie had caused Chey to be conceived. He wanted to kick himself. This was a terrible idea and he didn't' know why he had thought of it. This was a place where she had come upset and crying. There were no good memories here, only things that would trigger unhappiness.

"I'm sorry Mercedes, I didn't think this through-"

"No. It's fine. I forgot how nice it was up here. This was the first place that I'd experienced calm in a while." She stood and silently took in the view for a few minutes while he silently wrapped his arm around her, leaving her to whatever thoughts she was having. That night they were clearly about Shane, this evening, who knew?

Eventually she turned to the table that had been set for them. "This is really beautiful. Shall we eat?"

"Sure."

They took their seats at the small table underneath the miniature white marquee. The chairs were covered in matching cream fabric and there were fresh flowers on the table. It was open so that they could still see the view, and it had two solar heaters so that they wouldn't feel the cold of the evening. Their little cocooned shelter was lit by dozens of little candles inside miniature lanterns. A couple of small in built speakers piped calming classical music as a nice background noise and although they were outside it still felt intimate. It was different, she had to give him that, but why there were here was beyond her. Yes it was nice to see the view again, but to sit out here and have an actual meal? What the hell was he actually thinking?

She studied the menu carefully. It was the same menu as the restaurant downstairs so there was plenty of choice. Sam had already selected a wine but she resolved not to drink too much before getting what she needed off her chest.

"I'm sorry I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea-"

"Stop apologizing Sam. This is creative, just like you always are. Let's talk about something. Tell me about your trip. I haven't had a chance to talk to you about it. today we were busy with Chey, and last night, well…"

Last night spoke for itself as she pressed her thighs closer together and Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"So did you achieve everything you wanted with your series of meetings in Vegas?"

"I think so…"

Sam had been in talks about joining in with investment in a new property on the Las Vegas Strip. With the Wynn extending it north they were considering a smaller luxury casino hotel for those who wanted to go classer than the Wynn/Bellagio, without being stuck in a hotel with no casino like the Mandarin Oriental. One of the big players had been the same sheikh that owned the Chateau Bord-Du-Lac. He owned the land and had the chateau built on a whim after enjoying a trip to France. The Sheikh's wealth made Sam's pale into insignificance, but Sam was desperate to buy the chateau from the man who was only ever in the States for about five weeks per year. He knew that he would be able to market it as a bed and breakfast of the most exclusive kind. A chance to travel without having to leave American soil. And there were many who would pay top dollar for the privacy of the place. He could charge top dollar, which would make more than enough running for the general staffing and upkeep of the place when it is empty.

Sam chatted excitedly about the plans and before they knew it, the starter was finished. Mercedes had drunk some of her wine and was now looking far more relaxed not that the focus was no longer on her. But that was all about to change. He knew that he should have waited until after the main, but he had a burst of courage and if it didn't happen right now this very second, it might not happen at all this evening.

He took both her hands in his across the table. "Mercedes?"

"Yes?"

Her eyes were wide and for a split second she shared the same curious expression that Chey had. "Mercedes I need to talk to you about something."

She nodded, as though she knew what was coming. But how could she possibly know what was coming? "I know. I need to talk to you about something too."

That stopped him in his flow. "Okay… well you go first."

"No." She shook her head. "I still haven't got my words in the right order. You go first. We might even be thinking about the same thing."

He smiled. "I hope so."

Taking a deep breath he caressed the small soft hands that he had in his before sighing softly and smiling into her eyes. "Mercedes, I missed you so much while I was away."

"I missed you too."

"I really wished there was a way that you could have come with me."

"I know. But Vegas isn't a place for kids."

"I know. She's more of a fan of Disney."

They both smiled as they thought of their summer trip to the Animal Kingdom. It was Chey's delayed birthday gift from Sam, but this time they had far more me to enjoy it to the full. And this time Mercedes slept in a room with Sam, not Chey.

He had to focus his thoughts to bring them back to the present. "It was hard being away from you. I know I made out that it was just the sex that I was missing, but really, it was everything about you. When I'm not near you I feel like there's a huge chunk of me missing. I hate that feeling."

"Me too." Sam nodded, happy that she felt the same way, knowing that it was going to make this so much easier.

"When it comes to you, I know I've been saying some things to some people. I've been making some wild claims about who we are to each other and what we will be. I've been telling people that I want to have kids with you and I remember asking you, the very first time we went to Disney, it you would ever have more kids. Your answer was that you would if you were in a stable, healthy relationship. Now I agree with that sentiment. For all my fooling around, I'm an old fashioned sort of a guy. I've already promised to love you forever and I will. We're already a family with Chey and I want that family to grow. It's just that there's this little bit of paper and I know that it's just a little bit of paper, but it's what proves to the world that the promise I made to you is public and long lasting. I want our children to be born into a relationship that has been cemented in the eyes of the world and leaves nobody in any doubt that I belong with you and you belong with me."

He watched as her bottom lip quivered with realization of what was about to go down. "So tonight I've brought you back to where it all began. The place where two people made a mistake that was the mistake that's ever been made. I've brought you here to say I'm ready. I'm ready to take whatever life throws at us, and I'm ready start closing the gap on Stevie in this baby making race, but I don't want our next child to be born with any uncertainty over the relationship of his parents so…" Keeping her hands in his, he slid down from his seat and onto one knee, "… I love you Mercedes. More than I ever thought I could ever love another human being, and then some. I've already promised to do you right and love you forever but there's just one thing I need to ask you. Would you do me the honor, if you feel the same way about me…" He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out another blue velvet Tiffany's box, turned it to face her and opened it, letting the diamond catch the light "…to marry me and make our family complete?"

Mercedes was gasping for breath at this point. Her eyes were stinging with tears and she was grinning so hard that words wouldn't come out. Instead she nodded as hard as she could.

Sam smiled then cupped his ear and leaned forward. "Wait, I didn't catch that!"

She punched him on the arm with a laugh. "Yes! Yes you idiot! I will marry you!"

Sam didn't care about the tears in his own eyes, he just reached up so that he could pull her in a kiss. The first deep passionate kiss of an engaged couple.

Pure unadulterated happiness was what he was feeling and he reveled in it. After a few moments of kissing and wiping eyes they remembered where they were. The moment had been theirs, it had been private and they liked it that way. Mercedes leaned forward to examine the ring in the box but Sam had other ideas. "Wait, this has to be done properly." He reached for her right hand and ignored her expression of confusion as he pulled the promise ring from her finger. Kissing the ring once, he turned it so that the mysterious groove was now on the front. He kissed her wedding finger before slipping on the ring, where it strangely fitted even better than it had on her right hand.

"With this ring I promised to love you forever." He kissed the ring in its new location before taking the second ring from the box. It was a classic solitaire, with a large diamond, which she didn't doubt for a second was real, that was shaped as a heart. Either side of the large diamond were smaller ones in the same manner as the ones on the promise ring. In fact, as he slid the engagement ring onto her finger, the bottom of the heart fitted perfectly into the groove on the promise ring. "And with this ring I promise to marry you."

It was a perfect match, and Mercedes finally saw what hadn't been clear before. The rings weren't a coincidence. They were made like that at exactly the same time. Even before they were back together Sam had always known he wanted to marry her. He had been living with the ring and the hope, just waiting for the right time to make his feelings known.

And now the right time was here. All the sadness, the heartache and the procrastination had brought them to this point.

Mercedes smiled. Not only did Sam Evans desire her, he loved her. He was her fiancé and he was going to marry her.

_Every other hater woman could go suck on that!_

Sam was busy kissing the rings on her hand before capturing her lips again. Finally he sat back down, her newly bejeweled left hand still firmly in his. "Anymore thoughts on what it was that you wanted to say to me before?"

She shook her head and beamed at him. "I think you've pretty much got it covered."

* * *

**_Engaged Samcedes! I was beginning to think they'd never bloody get there! LOL!_**


End file.
